


The Many Types of Bly

by littlesolo



Category: The Haunting of Bly Manor (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-15 18:00:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28942590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlesolo/pseuds/littlesolo
Summary: These are a collection of various AU situations centered around Dani and Jamie.  I have a few planned already, but I'm open to prompts.  Just leave them in the comments.
Relationships: Dani Clayton & Edmund O'Mara, Dani Clayton & Karen Clayton, Dani Clayton/Jamie
Comments: 16
Kudos: 150





	1. A Last Ditch Effort At Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dani/Jamie AU based on a prompt. "Dani/Jamie and Edmund/Judy/Karen confrontation." No ghosts but Dani still went to Bly and met Jamie and then went to America together. 
> 
> Dani returns to Iowa one last time, but this time with Jamie by her side. Everyone back home still has hope for her and Eddie to get back together. It's one last ditch effort from them and one last chance for Dani to prove that she's happy with Jamie and their life in Vermont. It does not go smoothly.

Dani and Jamie are sitting in the parking lot at the burger place she and Eddie used to go to when they were kids. She still thinks this is a terrible idea. Her mother had done what she always does, guilt and pressure her into coming back for a visit. She’d finally agreed only because she knew that if she didn’t, she’d have her, Eddie, and his mom showing up at their door. 

Despite being with Jamie for two and a half years now, her mother was still convinced that she and Eddie could get back together and make things work. Eddie was also totally invested in this idea, despite her having told him she was gay multiple times and that she was in a serious relationship. So, now here she was, back in Iowa, having to let them see in person that Jamie was a real, that she was happy with her, and that there wasn’t a chance of her getting back with Eddie. Jamie reasoned that if they did this, it would force everyone to move on and put an end to Eddie’s numerous letters. Dani hopes that’s what happens. She’s used to her mother’s disappointment but hopefully the guilt trips and the constant updates on Eddie will stop. 

Even if that’s how things turn out, she still doesn’t want to see any of them. Nothing she’ll say today will be any different from what she’s told them before. Dani groans and lets her head hit the headrest as she slumps in her seat. 

“How long do you think we’ll have to stay?” Jamie shrugs and puts a hand on Dani’s shoulder, rubbing it gently. 

“Well, we haven’t had lunch yet, so maybe long enough for a quick meal?” Dani sighs. “Look, I’m going to be there next to you the whole time, but if things get to be too much and you want to leave, or are just done with it all, we can get up and go. That’s the thing about fast food, especially burgers, you can just stuff them back in the bag and take them along.” Dani sighs and falls over onto Jamie’s shoulder. She’s grateful that Jamie is coming along since she’s the only thing that will get her through this. 

“I just hate having to prove my feelings for you, having to prove you make me happy, just because they’d rather not believe it. As if I’m not capable of finding or knowing happiness on my own. I’ve always been a disappointment to my mom in one way or another. As far as she’s concerned, the only thing I’ve ever done right was get engaged. Eddie, well, he chose to see his version of things and has clearly stuck by it even after all this time. It’s not like I was the only girl in this stupid town. He’s a nice guy, he could have found someone else. I have no idea what Judy thinks at this point if she’s hearing everything through Eddie and my mom. 

I’m finally happy in my life and if they cared about me, that’s all that would matter. I wouldn’t have to go through a last ditch effort to get me back together with Eddie. I had to go all the way to London to finally get control over my own life.” 

“Well, I know how you feel about me, and I’m pretty fond of you too. More than just a little in fact. In case you’re wondering, I’m kind of in love with you. That isn’t going to change anytime soon, no matter what happens today, okay? One thing though, being back here, they might be expecting the woman they remember. They can tell themselves that when you’re just talking over the phone, but now they’ll have to face it in person.” Dani nods but leans over and rests her forehead against Jamie’s as Jamie strokes her cheekbone with her thumb. 

* * *

As Jamie reminds Dani that she's stronger now than the woman who left, she feels the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She gets the sense that they’re being watched. She ignores it when Dani pulls her into a gentle kiss. Or what was probably supposed to be just a gentle kiss, but it winds up gets a bit more heated and she has to pull back or they won’t be leaving the car. Dani leans her forehead against hers again and takes a few deep breaths. That’s when Jamie realizes they’re still being watched. When Dani pulls back into her own seat again, she takes a look around. That’s when she sees a tall man in glasses through the windshield watching them with an unreadable look on his face. She raises an eyebrow at him in response and it has him looking away sharply and walking away. 

Going in to get their meals, she handles ordering for them while Dani settles herself. Dani’s a bit worked up before anything has even started. Based on what Dani’s told her, going into this already aggravated wasn’t smart. She orders two large combo meals, figuring that having a bit of comfort food handy might give them a moment to collect themselves. As she carries their meals outside to the tables where they’d agreed to meet, she nearly walks into Dani’s back. 

“Eddie’s already here” she hears Dani say. Following her out, Jamie sees the man that had been watching them before. It’s weird seeing him in person. She’d seen photos of him before, but he was taller than she expected and looks a bit uncomfortable as he looks over at Dani. Dani had told her stories about growing up with him, before he took a romantic interest in her, but she’d also told her how their last conversation had gone. He stands up when they approach and looks like he’s going to come around for a hug or something, but Dani gives him a look and settles down at the table. He runs a hand through his hair and pushes his glasses up before retaking his seat. 

Setting the tray between them, Jamie sits down next to Dani and does her best not to show her distaste for Eddie. For someone he considered his best friend and someone he claims to love, Dani was still hurt by what he’d said. If he still cared about Dani, the first thing out of his mouth would be an apology. Jamie doubts he’ll say anything though because still hasn’t spoken and he wouldn’t want to in front of their parents. 

* * *

Dani sits next to Jamie in silence while Eddie sits there opening and closing his mouth trying to find something to say. She’d said everything say had to before she left and then again the first few times he called, so someone else is going to have to start things. She assumed Judy was getting a ride with her mom and she’d seen her mom drive by as they approached the table, so they’d just have to wait. 

Now, Eddie seems to be waiting for her to say something, and if she was same woman as before she might have tried to fill the silence. Instead of letting the silence make her uncomfortable, she digs into her burger. Jamie’s doing the same, and when she gives Eddie a furtive glance, he seems a bit shocked as well as confused. She isn’t really surprised, none of them had accepted that she’d changed. 

When her mother and Judy join them a good five minutes later, as expected, the first thing out of her mother’s mouth is a criticism. 

“Danielle, you’re not even going to wait for the rest of us before eating? You shouldn’t even be eating all that anyway.” The only thing that keeps her from rolling her eyes with a sigh is a nudge from Jamie’s leg against hers in a silent show of support. 

“Eddie isn’t eating, but I can wait if you two want to get something.” Her mother tsks and sits down on one side of Eddie while Judy settles on the other. Judy introduces herself to Jamie, who shakes her hand, but it doesn’t surprise her at all that Eddie and her mother pretend that Jamie isn’t there. 

“How are you Danielle?” asks Judy, and Dani’s relieved that she’s here. She knows Judy’s probably still hoping that she and Eddie will get back together, but Judy’s always been nice and will help keep this from turning ugly. 

“I’m doing great. Our shop is—” Before she can continue, her mother interrupts. 

“I thought this was going to be just the four of us Danielle. Does your friend really need to be here? This is personal and about your life.” Dani’s used to her mother’s tone, but it still has her taking a deep breath to stay calm. She and her mother talked regularly on the phone, so she knows that Jamie is her girlfriend. Still, if she lost her temper this early, things would downhill fast. 

Before she can answer, Eddie picks up a bouquet from the bench beside him and thrusts them towards her. 

“I bought these. They made me think of you.” 

Her mother beams at the sweet gesture as she takes the flowers awkwardly and looks down at them. Being with Jamie has taught her more than a few things about flowers, especially since opening the shop, so she can’t exactly hide her frown at them. Dani tilts them towards Jamie before handing them to her who, when faced with bad flowers, can’t hide her displeasure. 

“These won’t do at all” mumbles Jamie as she inspects them, completely oblivious to the angry look she’s getting from her mother. Eddie’s face is a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. Dani ignores both while Judy continues to be the only decent one among them. 

“What kind of shop do you have?” Dani has a little too much pleasure in answering, but can’t bring herself to care. 

“We have a flower shop called The Leafling. It’s really Jamie’s place but—” 

“It’s ours Poppins. Both yours and mine” interjects Jamie, still focused on the bouquet. Dani doesn’t agree. It’s Jamie who puts all her heart and soul into it and does all the magic with the plants. She just helps out when she can, but the last thing she wants is an argument, even a playful one, in front of these people, so she just nods. 

“Poppins? Who’s Poppins” asks Eddie. No one here ever called her anything but Danielle, and as much as she loves Jamie’s nickname for her, she doesn’t want Eddie, her mother, or anyone else saying it. Being able to read her better than anyone, Jamie notices the change and gives her leg a nudge under the table. 

“Poppins, like Mary Poppins? Dani came to Bly as an au pair. It seemed fitting with how good she was with the kids” answers Jamie. Dani gives Jamie a wide smile as she remembers the first time she called her Poppins. She doesn’t care about the glare from her mother or the puzzled look on Eddie’s face, but she misses the small smile on Judy’s face. 

“We do fresh flowers, custom arrangements, and bouquets. I’m teaching at a nearby school, but I help out when I can.” She’s proud of The Leafling, it’s something they’ve built together. At the moment though, she’s watching how Jamie’s critical eye is still looking over the flowers, carefully unwrapping them to look past just the blossoms. It’s a fairly large bouquet, but in this case, that’s probably a bad thing. Now, Jamie’s carefully running her fingers over it, checking each stem and flower individually. This evaluation won’t go over well, but Jamie won’t hold back on her appraisal of the flowers, she never does. Dani tilts her head at her girlfriend, waiting for her verdict. As usual, Jamie somehow senses her gaze and looks over at her with a sigh. 

“Even if the colors weren’t garish, these were cut wrong and kept too cold. You can tell from how some of the blossoms haven’t opened fully, the stem bending, and wilting. It’s an offensive arrangement, even for a quick premade one. Whoever threw this together should be ashamed and fired. Probably paid too much for them too.” Having dealt with that, Jamie sets the large bouquet down and starts on a few of her fries, but only after wiping her hands. Eddie clenches his fists on the table and his expression is a mixture of anger and embarrassment, but Jamie misses it completely. Judy, however, seems impressed. She doesn’t even have to look at her mother to know that she thinks Jamie’s just making things up. Eddie clears his throat. 

“You’re still teaching?” He sounds surprised. He’d wanted her to quit and be a homemaker, like his mother. Nothing against Judy, but that wasn’t the life she wanted for herself. Before she can say anything, her mother interrupts again. 

“Of course she’s still working. It’s not like she can get by on what a dinky flower shop makes.” Dani doesn’t react, which makes her mother even more annoyed, and continues as if her mother hadn’t spoken. 

“I love teaching. I wouldn’t trade my experience at Bly for anything and I love Flora and Miles, but I didn’t realize how much I missed the chaos of a full classroom. I can’t be as creative as I was with just two kids, but it’s challenging in a good way. I get to push myself—” It’s her mother who interrupts again with a heavy sigh. 

“That’s great Danielle, but we’re here to talk about you and your life” she says in exasperation. 

* * *

Jamie feels Dani tense next to her out of irritation. She nudges Dani’s thigh with her own, hoping Dani knows what she means. She’ll gladly take the focus of group if it gives Dani a chance to take a breath. Dani looks over at her at her for a moment, before answering. 

“I _was_ talking about my life.” Eddie speaks up again. 

“Danielle, you know how I feel. In my letters I—” 

“I never opened any of your letters. They’re in a box in our back room.” Dani ignores the hurt and shocked look on his face. Dani’s mother looks like she’s about to interrupt again, but doesn’t only because Eddie’s going to beat her to it, but Dani cuts him off too. “I also remember the last conversation we had—”

“Yes, where you claimed you were gay—”

“I didn’t _claim_ —” Dani only continues after a sigh and rubbing the spot between her eyes. “I also remember what you said after that.” That makes the ex fiancé flinch backwards. Maybe the parents could pretend to ignore it, but he's gone dangerously pale and glances over at his mother nervously. It takes a bit of the wind out of his sails. “I didn’t claim to be gay, I was finally being honest with you and myself.” This time Dani’s mother doesn’t hesitate. 

“Danielle, you are not gay. You grew up with Edmund and were a couple for years!” Jamie bites the inside of her cheek to keep from rolling her eyes at the fact that of course Eddie has to add something. 

“Danielle, you said yes to my proposal! If you’re gay, why did you say yes?” Here, Jamie’s not sure what to do. She can see the tenseness in Dani’s shoulders, and both Dani’s mother and Eddie sit up a little straighter when Dani runs a hand through her hair. It’s one of Dani’s tells and everyone here knows it. Jamie’s trying to think of how to help when Dani grabs her hand, laces their fingers together, and sets them on the table. 

“Eddie, I said no to your proposals for years, but you ignored them. Apparently, you thought you could coax me into it like you did everything else, like becoming your girlfriend to moving in with you and everything in between. You got smarter the last time though, you asked me in a room full of people where I couldn’t say no without hurting everyone, once again making my decision for me. I should have said no anyway, but I didn’t want to humiliate you, despite how it felt like that whenever you asked and knowing you’d do it again even though you knew my answer.” 

Dani isn’t normally so blunt and things are coming out a bit mean, but Jamie can’t blame her at this point. Eddie had gotten their phone number from Dani’s mother when they’d settled down in Vermont. Dani had tried to get through to him the first few times, but then it became him trying to get out a few words before Dani hung up on him. Jamie will always enjoy hearing Dani using her firm tone at someone, as long as it isn’t her. At the rate things are going, she can’t help but wonder how long it’ll be before Dani switches to her rarely used fierce tone. Eddie doesn’t seem to mind having how he used to pressure Dani pointed out, since he goes right on and does it again. 

“Danielle, you just weren’t ready, but we had plans! A life together and a family! You moved in with me into a house I bought for us! I am your best friend, if you had feelings for girls growing up, you would have told me!” Jamie stuffs and bunch of fries into her mouth to keep from pointing out the obvious and Dani squeezes her hand to let her know she has it under control. The gesture doesn’t go unnoticed by anyone at the table and has two of them glaring at her again. 

“Eddie, you’re doing it again! I’m the only one who says how I feel, not you, and not anyone else. You know as well as I do that I spent so much time at your house not just because you were my best friend.” Dani’s mother has the audacity to look prim, sitting there as if she hadn’t hurt and neglected Dani with her alcoholism to the point where she went to another family for love. She hates Eddie even more now since Dani had felt like getting to be around a family that loved her was conditional. Eddie at least has the decency to look slightly ashamed, but it’s his mother’s face that draws her attention. She’s looking at her hands and actually appears to be thinking things over. 

“I wasn’t going to risk losing my best friend and the only people who loved me by telling you I didn’t felt the same way, but I never did, not even when I tried to make myself. I loved you but I was never _in_ love with you. Do you really want me to be honest?” Eddie’s frowning now, and there is anger behind his eyes, but he nods. Dani continues after a heaving a large sigh. “I started noticing other girls when we were kids, but I didn’t know what it meant then. In high school, I knew I felt more for the girls I just glanced at than I was supposed to for you and that made me feel awful, like a disloyal friend, but it didn’t change how I felt.” Dani pauses for a moment to take a drink from her soda and Dani’s mother takes the opportunity to turn the focus on her. 

* * *

“My daughter was happy with Edmund! You took advantage of a confused girl in a foreign country, got her thinking she’s gay, and invited yourself along when she finally decided to come back home. You shouldn’t even be here! Did you even know about Edmund? The life she still has waiting for her here?” Dani squeezes Jamie’s hand, but she really doesn’t have to worry about her losing her temper, it’s her own that she should be concerned about. This wasn’t Jamie’s fight, but she knows Jamie would gladly take on the focus and give her a chance to regroup. 

“I shouldn’t be at this table or in this country? If you want to know how things actually happened, I went out of my way to avoid your daughter at first, and when things started between us, she pursued me. That was… interesting.” Dani can’t help her deep blush or embarrassed smile. 

“Well, it’s not like I had any experience at flirting or asking someone out…” Jamie gives her that smirk of hers that has her forgetting that anyone else is there, until Eddie makes some sort of sound of disbelief and her mother scoffs. Then she’s painfully reminded of the others and is glaring right back at them. She knows that she came to prove to them all that she’s happy with Jamie, and she is, but she doesn’t want them seeing them share such a happy memory, not when they were responsible for all her bad ones. 

“Dani—” 

“ _Danielle_ ” corrects both Eddie and her mother. 

“—told me about how she broke her engagement to a man she didn’t love—” 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about” her mother practically snarls and she doesn’t even try to hide her eye roll. 

“I only know what Dani told me and I trust her when it comes to how she feels. As for me being here, in both cases I only asked if she wanted company and she said yes.” Dani can’t help but interrupt. Jamie’s only answering what she’s being asked, but with the way both Eddie and her mother are looking at her girlfriend, they’re seconds away from attacking her and she won’t let that happen. That’ll will definitely set off her own temper. 

“I’m happier than I’ve ever been with Jamie. Much happier than I was here. We’ve made a life together in Vermont and have been together for two and a half years now--” 

“Two years, Poppins. Those first few months, you were getting used to Bly and the gremlins. We got together after that and were serious, but it got official when you let me come with you back to America.” Dani shakes her head and smiles. Jamie’s right. Mostly due to her own fumbling combined with both their nervousness, it always took them a while to figure out if they were on the same page. 

That’s when her mother decides to round on her. 

“So, you start thinking you’re gay and went after the first woman you ran into?” It comes out in a harsh whisper, which is better than the yelling she’s used. If they were alone, her mother would have started yelling a while ago. Dani wonders if she’d been drinking before she got here. Maybe, but her getting married to Eddie was so important to her, so maybe not. She’s about to answer when Jamie turns towards her, taking a bite of her burger before saying anything. 

“I thought you were in London for six months first? At a hostel? Had to be other women there right?” That has her smiling again for two reasons. First, the anger radiating from Eddie and her mother isn’t getting to Jamie at all, and second, there’s a smear of ketchup and mustard next to Jamie's mouth. Without even thinking about it, she reaches over and wipes it away with her thumb, missing the outraged look on her mother’s face or the disgusted one on Eddie’s. It also means she misses the soft look on Judy’s. 

“What can I say, you’re special.” Dani takes added pleasure in the fact that her comment makes Jamie blush. 

“We had a plan Danielle. You and I were going to spend our lives together! Now you’re throwing it all away for something that isn’t even real?” says Eddie. He’s getting worked up and his voice is getting grating. Everything he says is sounding more like whining and is reminding Dani why she was so eager to leave him. When getting his way, it came down to a mixture of deciding things for her and wearing her down. That’s how he got her to start kissing him in high school and later have sex for the first time. 

“Eddie, you made this plan for us yourself, without hearing what I had to say. I never wanted to give up my job and be shut up in some house. I didn’t want to have children with you. All I wanted was my best friend. The one who was there for me when my dad died, was there when I was scared of starting middle school, and a bunch of other times. Even if I had been in love with you, going along with your plans meant giving up my own and I wasn’t going to do that. It’s just another reason we wouldn’t have worked. 

Mom, I told you twice that I thought I was gay, that I couldn’t be with Eddie, that I didn’t want to be, but you… well, the next day you’d pretend it had never happened. As for having a family, I have my students and love them all, even the tough one. We still keep in touch with the Wingrave kids too. I don’t know about having kids of my own. Maybe one day, Jamie and I haven’t discussed it, but it’s a decision we’ll be making together.” She catches Jamie making a face. It’s not quite a wince, but it’s enough to let her know she’s gotten something wrong. “What?” 

“Well Poppins, we do have Stevie…”

“Stevie?” asks Judy. Dani nods with a smile. How could she have forgotten Stevie? 

“Stevie’s our dog. She’s a rescue and an absolute sweetheart.” 

“Quite a commitment with both our jobs, but between Dani and Stevie’s puppy dog eyes, I couldn’t say no.” Eddie’s about to say something when Judy puts a hand on his arm, but he shakes it off. 

“Danielle, we’ve been together since we were kids! What do you even know about this woman? Do you know anything about her past? How did you even meet her?” 

“I know everything I need to. Jamie had already been at Bly manor for a number of years before I got there. She was the gardener at—”

“A _gardener_ Danielle? Really? At least Edmund has a decent job and makes enough money to actually support you” says her mother. Beside her, Eddie puffs out his chest, proud of himself and probably feeling superior to Jamie. Dani doesn’t give him a chance to say anything. 

“That was only part of Jamie’s job. She was the gardener, groundskeeper, and landscape designer. She took care of everything and still made time for the rest of us. You should have seen her roses, we have some photos of the grounds stored away somewhere. Jamie’s skill with plants is what makes the shop so successful. I don’t care what job Eddie has or how much he makes. We have an apartment together and between my salary and what the shop makes, we live comfortably. With Jamie I have everything that matters.” 

* * *

Danie’s mother looks close to losing it, so it doesn’t surprise her when she one who continues to go at Dani. 

“Danielle, whatever you think you have with this woman isn’t real. You’ve come home, where you belong. Eddie is here because he’s still willing to take you back, despite your little tantrum and running away, so consider yourself lucky.” The woman’s voice is stern, and clearly meant to be intimidating, but Dani comes back at her just as forcefully, using that fierce voice of hers. The last time Jamie had heard it was back at Bly when Miles had done something exceedingly reckless. She’d come in on the tail end of the lecture, but Dani’s tone had even Owen cowering and she wasn’t even addressing him. She never found out exactly what Miles had done, Dani had still been too shaken to tell her, but maybe she’ll tell her after they leave here. 

“ _Jamie_. Her name is Jamie. It wasn’t a tantrum, it was me. This place isn’t home. Home is a place where I can be myself, and that’s in Vermont or wherever I am as long as I’m with Jamie. I’m in love with her.” Jamie feels her heart swell. Love. It’s still hard to believe she’s found it and that she did with someone as amazing as Dani Clayton. She’s brought back to the discussion when Dani’s mother has another go, but this time aimed at her. 

“Do you even know what you’re getting into with my daughter?” 

“You mean getting involved with an American or with someone who can’t make any sort of hot beverage? I know, but I figure one of those faults leads to the other. I love her though, so I can overlook it.” Dani’s beaming at her, but still gives her a nudge with her elbow. Jamie simply raises an eyebrow at Dani, daring her to argue. Dani knows her coffee and tea skills are nonexistent, and that has the blonde blushing again. 

“You might think things are serious between you two, but Danielle will leave you. She will run, just ask Edmund. This thing you have won’t last.” Then the woman turns back to her daughter. “Danielle, Edmund still loves you, do you think she will once you abandoned her?” 

“This is different Mom. I actually love Jamie. I’m building a life with her, a life I have a say in, a life where we make decisions together, from the big ones to what we buy for groceries.” 

Eddie, well, it’s not slams, more like bangs his fists on the table top and runs a hand through his hair. He’s probably about to say how much he still loves Dani, but his mother puts a hand on his arm again and tightens your grip. 

“Danielle, I’m so sorry you felt you couldn’t be honest with us, with me. I’m sorry we put so much pressure on you that felt you’d lose us by being yourself. That never would have happened. You would have always been welcome in our home and we would have supported you no matter what. You’re not my daughter in law, but you are still part of our family.” Eddie is still worked up, staring at his mother with a look of disbelief, probably because she’d been so invested two of them as well, but he looks away at her last comment. “I only ever wanted you to be happy Danielle, and you clearly are, even if it isn’t here. I’m sorry you had to leave in order to find it. We love you, but once you left, we should have let you go. It’s still hard, but after three years, we should have moved on. I’m so sorry. Jamie, I’m so glad Danielle found you. Even in just this afternoon, it’s very clear how much Danielle loves you and that you feel the same.” 

Eddie still looks infuriated that things haven’t gone like he wanted, but she couldn’t care less. Having the approval of the person that meant so much to Dani growing up meant a lot to her. She didn’t think it would since she knows how much Dani loves her, but it does. 

* * *

Dani heaves a large sigh. She hadn’t expected anything from her mother or Eddie, but having Judy accept her was something she’d hoped for. She’d been a bit nervous about letting Judy O’Mara see the real her, but looking back she shouldn’t have been. Everything Judy had said was true and she feels awful for ever doubting that. Maybe if she’d been honest from the beginning, everything with Eddie could have been avoided. Everything from being his girlfriend, having to refuse one proposal after another, and never had it get as far as planning a wedding. Judy seems to know exactly what’s going through her mind and reaches over to squeeze her hand that isn’t holding Jamie’s. She feels the tears streaming down her face, but doesn’t make any move to wipe them away. 

“Please keep in touch, both of you? I’d love to see photos of your work Jamie. Stevie too. Danielle, your things are still at Eddie’s, but we’ll be at my house.” With that, Judy squeezes her hand again, then squeezes her son’s shoulder. “I’ll be in the car Edmund.” 

With a heavy sigh, Eddie gives her one last look of desperation, but when her expression doesn’t change and he finally gets up. The only one left is her mother. Apparently, she’s not leaving without expressing her disappointment one last time. 

“Your father never would have stood for this. He would be so ashamed of you and the choices you’ve made.” That’s it. She’d held her temper up until now. As always, her mother knew exactly what to say that would hurt the most, but this time it she doesn’t feel sad, she feels enraged. 

“Do _NOT_ bring him into this! Dad loved me, I know that from the few memories I have of him. You didn’t love me and I don’t know if you really loved him either, but I’m sure he would have wanted me to be happy. He isn’t here though and I knew better than to expect as much from you. I only came to let you, all of you, know that I am in love with Jamie. I knew you wouldn’t be happy, but I thought you’d at least like to see Jamie face to face. See how happy we are.” She doesn’t remember standing up or placing her hands on the table, but she can feel Jamie looking up at her. After exhaling slowly, she sits back down and takes Jamie’s hand back in hers. Her mother gives her with a dark look, but she has nothing else to say. 

“Well, you’ve made it clear this isn’t your home anymore. Goodbye Danielle.” Then her mother gets up and leaves. Dani has a feeling it will be the last time she ever sees or hears from her. 

She suddenly feels exhausted but doesn’t know what to do with the bit of energy still coursing through her. She reaches for her fries that have probably long gone cold, only to find the carton empty. Jamie pushes her own carton towards her, and Dani has a feeling Jamie had saved them just for her.

“You alright Poppins?” She nods. 

“That went better than I thought it would. Judy isn’t upset and that’s all I’d really hoped for. Eddie and my mother were never going to accept it. I knew that from the way they still refused to see the real me. I still have you and that’s all that matters.” 

“You always will Dani. I’m not going anywhere.” Dani has tears falling down her face again, but this time due to how much she loves Jamie and how sometimes she still can’t believe that love is returned. “I really don’t want to try and figure out joint custody over Stevie.” That has her laughing and she pulls their joined hands to her lips for a kiss. 

* * *

The two of them leave a few minutes later, but only after Jamie convinces Dani that some ice cream cones would be perfect after the afternoon they’ve had. Dani wants to retrieve a few important things from Eddie’s house, but she can sense Dani’s reluctance. She really hopes the guy's place isn't some shrine to the happy life he and Dani could have had together. 

By the time they’re on the way back to the car, Dani looks like she’s feeling better. She knows this for certain when Dani purposely bumps her hand holding the cone so that some winds up covering the tip of her nose and bursts out into laughter. Jamie wipes her nose with the back of her sleeve with a smile. Once again, she feels eyes on them, but this time she pushes them from her mind. 


	2. A Decent Coffee Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coffee Shop AU
> 
> Coffee is not something Jamie cares much about. Certainly not enough to be a barista, but it's the job Owen got for her. It turns out to be worth it the day a beautiful blonde comes in and then becomes a regular.

As she does with most things, Jamie adapts quickly to new situations, and this time it’s to another new job. Well, it’s not all that new anymore, she’s been working at the coffee shop now for a little over a month and a half now, thanks to Owen. Owen had gotten a job as a baker for the shop, and somehow managed to convince the owner Henry Wingrave to give her a job too. 

Owen Sharma is the only reason things have been going well for her, but she doesn’t expect it to last. She loves Owen like a brother and he’s been looking out for her ever since they met and she’ll always be grateful for that, but these types of things don’t tend to last for her. At the moment, she and Owen share a small flat that’s barely big enough for the both of them, but they make it work. Somehow, with Owen, they always do. 

* * *

Jamie’s had a number of jobs in the past, but standing at the counter and making coffee is one of the most mind numbing ones she’s had yet. Being British, she prefers tea rather than coffee, but when she does drink coffee, she has plain coffee. Maybe she’ll add a bit of creamer and sugar, but all the flavors and varieties, from frappe’s to cold brew, don’t make sense to her. If you add chocolate shavings, ice, syrups, and whipped cream, is it even coffee anymore? 

To be honest, she’s not really a people person, so she’s taken the time to mentally prepare responses for most of what she's asked. Her interactions with customers tend to stick to the same script. What will you have, do you want whipped cream on that, and the usual couple of questions or adjustments for drinks. Things like what drinks are good (it depends on what you like), what is dark roasted coffee (coffee without caffeine, which defeats the purpose and doesn’t taste good), do they have wifi (they do, as the signs on the door and tables say), can they adjust the order (this is only asked after the order is already made), do you have a secret menu (if it isn’t on the menu, we don’t have it), how fresh or good are the pastries (this gets her offended on Owen’s behalf), and don’t you remember my order (nope). Again, she’s mostly a tea drinker herself, but her two week training provided her with the answers. The only question she’s ashamed to answer is whether they have a wider selection of teas (they don’t). 

Then there are the other annoyances, like general rudeness that have her taking a deep breath to maintain her temper. For instance, if they’re talking on a cell instead of ordering, she sticks her hands in her pockets to keep from grabbing it and throwing it across the room. By having responses ready in her head, it keeps her from giving a snarky reply or rolling her eyes. Both are her usually her instinctual responses, but are also things that will get her fired. If it wasn’t for Owen and the other woman Rebecca, the only thing that keeps her sane are her smoke breaks. 

Jamie also does a bit of people watching and sometimes judging while being stuck behind the counter. They get the college students who come to study and who are typically filled with so much anxiety that coffee is the last thing they need, the business people who talk loudly on their cells or during their video chats, and few that come in to read a book or something. Plants are her first passion, followed closely by books, but when she gets a glance at the titles, they’re usually horrible. 

All of her preparation turns out to be pointless when a certain blue eyed blonde haired customer walks through the door. It’s become a habit of Jamie's to watch who comes in and try to guess what they’re going to order, seeing how close she comes to being right is her only real form of entertainment. This woman is gorgeous and has her distracted until she’s standing right in front of her at the counter. She’s able to shake herself out of her stupor just in time to hear what she asks. 

“How’s your day going?” 

This is not a question Jamie has a ready response for, so this combined with the woman's beauty, has her brain short circuiting again. Due to the unexpectedness of the question and her brain still coming back online, she accidentally answers honestly. 

“Same as usual. Some people are okay, but mostly I feel like poisoning everybody.” Thankfully, it makes the woman laugh, an honest laugh not one just to humor her, and is the only one to hear her comment. It has reverting to her usual self and her smirk creeping on her face. She mentally shakes her head clear and asks for her order, but this time without her usual apathy and forced niceness. 

“I’ll have a caramel latte, please.” The woman gets points for ordering one of the least objectionable options on the menu. 

“Coming right up. Name for the order?” 

“Danielle. Well, Dani.” 

“I’ll hold back on adding anything extra to your drink” answers Jamie with a grin and a wink. It makes Dani laugh again and Jamie already loves that sound. She’s a bit reluctant to hand over the drink because it means the woman will be leaving, but she does anyway. She took a guess when it came to spelling the woman’s name on the cup, but the smile on her face says she got it right. It’s been the only real enjoyable interaction she’s had while working at the shop, so she overlooks the fact that Dani adds an absurd amount of sugar to her drink before leaving. The smile Dani gives her over her shoulder and a second thank you on her way out the door has Jamie smiling for the rest of the day. 

It’s only when Dani’s been gone for a few minutes and turns around that she sees Rebecca raising an eyebrow at her and Owen giving her one of his widest smiles. Between the two of them, she won’t be hearing the end of this for a while. Strangely, she doesn’t mind. Odds are, Dani was just popping in since Jamie already knows most of the regulars on sight, so she can take a bit of teasing. 

* * *

Turns out, Dani becomes a regular at the shop. She comes in twice a day, in the morning and later in the afternoon. Seeing Dani is the highlight of her day and her only source of pleasant conversation. 

“So, what has you needing two coffees a day? It has caffeine in it you know. That hits pretty quick, so the enormous amount of sugar might be over doing it.” Dani gives her a smile before answering. 

“College and then the tutoring and mentoring sessions at an elementary school three times a week or study sessions afterwards. I’m going into teaching.” 

“Willingly dealing with little gremlins all day? That would require more than just coffee for me, or at least an extra ingredient.” Dani smiles even wider. 

“I’m assuming you don’t mean the poison you manage to hold back from other customers?” Dani says this softly enough for her to hear, but not anyone else. As much as she likes seeing Dani twice a day, she really doesn’t need the shop to suddenly get a reputation for nearly killing annoying customers. If she got fired, she’d miss out on talking to Dani. 

“Yeah, this time I mean a bit of bourbon or brandy” she replies with a wink, careful to keep her voice just as soft. This gets her one of those wonderful laughs. 

“They’re not all that bad. Some are a handful, but nothing I can’t manage.” Handing over her drink, Dani deliberately brushes her fingers against hers this time. “Thanks Jamie.” Jamie gives her a wave, but it’s only after Dani’s gone that she realizes what she’d said. When there’s a lull in customers, she finally gets a chance to talk to Owen and Rebecca. 

“Did either of you tell Dani my name?” Rebecca raises an eyebrow at her. 

“And put ourselves in the way of you taking her order? I wouldn’t want to risk being shoved into the espresso machine or being trampled.” 

“Then how did she know my name?” This Rebecca turning away quickly to hide her laughter, but Owen doesn’t try to hide his grin. 

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say that since you didn’t tell her yourself, she got it from your name tag, my smitten friend.” The obviousness of the answer as well as being called out on her feelings has her blushing, something else Owen won’t be letting go if the way his grin gets even wider is any indication. 

* * *

The next time Dani comes in, Jamie happens to be on her long break and is sitting at a table in the corner. That’s the only reason she doesn’t notice when Dani comes in. It’s probably a good thing considering the fact that she might have done something embarrassing like rush from her table to the counter to take her order, probably hurting herself in the process. 

Instead, she only notices when Dani sits down in the chair next to her. Not across from her, but right next to her. That’s also when she sets down a book too. The Partly Cloudy Patriot by Sarah Vowell. That has her smiling before she knows it’s Dani, making her willing to forgive whoever it is for the presumption that sitting with her uninvited was okay. Discovering that it’s Dani has her smiling even wider. 

“Sarah Vowell is the only way I can tolerate your so called American history.” Dani smiles back, and Jamie feels her knee bump hers under the table. 

“How busy does this place get?” Given their usual banter and conversation, the question throws her. Dani blushes, probably sensing that this comes out of nowhere. “It’s just, whenever I come in here, there are quite a few people around, but so far most of the British people I’ve met are big tea drinkers. That’s the only bad thing about this place. I can’t make anything that involves boiling water, which is why I come here for coffee, but you guys don’t serve much in the way of teas and that has me just buying tea and making my study buddies fix the water themselves. It doesn’t make me look great.” Jamie can’t help her laugh. 

“We do get fairly busy here. As much as people like coffee, I attribute this place’s success to my friend Owen’s pastries. You're right, we don’t have a wide selection of teas, but I’m kind of offended you haven’t tried what we offer.” This time Dani gives her look. 

“I might have, but coming in and ordering four or six large teas seems a little rude and would probably back you guys up a bit.” That’s a fair point. When they get gophers and interns ordering coffee for a horde, there’s nothing more annoying, but she’d make an exception for Dani since it would give them more time to talk. 

“It’s just a bit of hot water, Poppins. It’s not like you’re ordering eight triple, venti, half sweet, non-fat, caramel macchiato.” Dani lets out a full laugh at that and it has Jaime beaming. 

“First of all, I don’t know much about coffee, but I’m not sure you said all those words right. Second, no matter how hard I try, I can’t see you making those without adding a special ingredient, and I’m not talking about the fun one.” This time it’s Jamie laughing out loud. 

“That’s why I have Rebecca make them. Also, venti? What ever happened to just saying large?” Dani gives her a grin. 

“Pretentious coffee orders deserve pretentious sizes. Now, in most places, the baristas are usually passionate about coffee. The different types and flavors and beans. With you, I sense that’s not true, so why are you working here?” Thankfully, Jamie's usual confidence doesn’t falter even though this isn’t their usual light conversation. It is and it isn’t, but she’s not the type to give a serious answer to someone she doesn’t know as well as… well, just Owen really. Usually, she just deflects with a joke. There’s just something about this blonde teacher in training that has her answering honestly. 

“My friend Owen got me the job. Like I said, he does the baked goods, something else you haven’t indulged in and I really recommend you do. Believe it or not, I’m not usually good with people.” Dani raises an eyebrow at her. “You seem to be the only exception. Ever.” 

“I’m honored” answers Dani with a smile and that has the faint blush just showing up on Jamie’s face getting even brighter. 

“My talent is plants, but jobs like that are hard to come by. I mean, maybe I could get a job at a garden center or something, but I take pride in my plants. The ones that are delivered to the stores are alright, but could be better and I could do it, but they probably wouldn’t pay me for the overtime and extra effort. So, until I can find a job at somewhere decent or open a place of my own, I’ll be working here.” To her surprise, there isn’t a hint of mockery on Dani’s face when she replies. 

“That would be really cool! Finding a place worthy of your skill or opening your own place, I mean.” There hadn’t been much traffic while the two of them were talking, but when business starts to pick up again, Jamie realizes that she’s coming to the end of her break. Her face must have said as much. 

“I’m sorry. I have a break between classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and just thought I’d stop by for a chat.” They’re knees have been bumping each other, but this time Dani’s does because she’s getting up to go. She can’t help but teasing her a bit before she goes. 

“Oh, so anyone would have been okay? Have to admit, chatting up Owen is a good way to get a free pastry.” Dani’s almost to the door when she tosses her answer over her shoulder. 

“Not just anyone.” That has Jamie sitting there speechless until Rebecca calls her over for help. 

It’s when they’re closing up that Hannah comes over to talk to her. Hannah Grose is the manager of the store and the moment Jamie sees her walking towards her she gets a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. This job has lasted longer than most, and yes, that’s mostly due to Dani. Jamie had gotten past glaring or scowling at customers within the first week, but nothing lasts forever. 

“Jamie, did my eyes deceive me earlier today, or were you talking with someone during your break?” Hannah is elegant and kind, someone perfect for dealing with unruly customers and having them either apologizing or leaving happy, but aside from that, Jamie doesn’t know much about her. Well, other than Owen’s embarrassingly large crush on her, but she can’t exactly tease him about it given how she feels about Dani. 

Hannah’s become sort of a friend recently with all the time they spend working and how Owen’s been spending even more time with her, so if Hannah fires her things will be a little awkward. Unsure of how to reply, she gives Hannah a nervous smile and a shrug. “To hear Owen tell it, you’re not exactly the type to be overly sociable. Don’t worry, I have no problem with your work, but it is nice to see a real smile on your face. One that isn’t caused by something that Owen’s made.” Jamie has no idea what to that. Well, there is one thing. 

“How do you know about Dani?” Even Hannah’s laugh is elegant. It isn’t making fun of her in any way and is light and happy. It’s nice, granted it doesn’t have the same effect as Dani’s, but it’s nice. 

“Um, it may have come up in conversation with Owen. As well as from Rebecca.” Jamie turns towards the front counter with a fierce scowl that has Rebecca scattering and Owen hastily dumping a fresh batch of muffins into the display case before following after her. If he was lucky, she’d stop at just shaving his mustache while he slept. 

* * *

Jamie had been happy seeing Dani twice a day most days, but when she starts coming in during her long break on Tuesdays and Thursdays too, she’s absolutely thrilled. Alright, so maybe she’s not exactly subtle in hiding how she feels about it, but at this point she can’t help it. Dani seems to feel the same way though. They talk about all sorts of things together, things that are sometimes stupid, but she still finds herself answering honestly more often than not. There are plenty of smiles and laughter and she tries very hard not to notice the proud look Owen has on his face from behind the counter. 

Sometimes, Dani gets there before Jamie's break really starts, but she waits for her at the table. Today there are three customers that Jamie has to serve before she can join her and just her luck, they are the most indecisive people she’s ever met. While one after the other spends forever trying to make up their mind, she glances over at Dani. Dani’s on her cell talking to someone, but it’s clearly more of a one sided conversation. Time after time, Dani starts to say something only to be cut off. Dani runs a hand through her hair in frustration, and normally Jamie would notice how it only makes the blonde even more attractive, but Dani is getting increasingly upset. When Dani hangs up, Jamie’s afraid she might leave, but Dani just slumps in her seat and props her elbows on the table, holding her head in her hands. Over the past few weeks she’s gotten Dani to try Owen’s baked goods one by one, so when she finally joins her at the table, she brings Dani's favorite, a large lemon iced cookie. 

“Everything alright Poppins?” Dani glances up and gives her a weak smile at the nickname, but still looks stressed. 

“I came to London…” Dani takes a shaky breath, trying to find the words to explain. Normally, this would be where Jamie would insert a joke, but this time she waits, sensing this is one of their more serious conversations. “I came to London to become a teacher, but also to get away. I had an ex-boyfriend. Well, ex fiancé, and he died. I couldn’t… there were so many reasons I couldn’t move forward there, so I ran. I love it here, but my family and his are… ‘concerned’ about me.” Dani picks at her cookie a bit and Jamie’s hands twitch in her lap. Dani runs a hand through her hair again and lets out a shuddering breath and that has Jamie reaching out and taking her hand. “I don’t know, maybe I’ve been just been running away from everything for too long. My mom, Eddie, his parents, small town expectations. Maybe running is all I know how to do anymore.” That has Jamie tilting her head and giving her a long look. 

“Look, we don’t know each other very well, but you don’t strike me as a runner. I mean, maybe that’s part of what brought you here, but you’re doing more than that. You’re studying to become something you’re passionate about. That’s moving towards something, in my opinion. Maybe you needed a fresh start, I don’t know. It doesn’t matter. What matters is are you happy? Can you breathe? Be yourself?” Dani gives her a small smile as she nods. 

“I’m happier here than I’ve ever been in my life.” 

“Just to be clear, I’m talking about here in Bly, not this coffee shop, even though I can totally understand how my company and Owen’s creations are a big appeal.” That has Dani laughing. It’s not her usual bright and full one, but it’s a large step away from the sad and depressed look she’d had earlier. Dani wipes at her face and then they move on. 

She’s glad to see a smile back on Dani’s face and is trying to keep her uneasiness off her own. The ex boyfriend, ex fiancé, Eddie, has her wondering things. Instead of focusing on how confused she’s feeling now, she turns her attention back to what Dani is saying. 

“Back in Iowa, I was something to everyone. A fiancé, a daughter, a soon to be daughter in law, but I was never seen by any of them and never able to be myself.” 

“Are you now? Being yourself?” That has Dani looking up and right at her. 

“I think I’m still figuring out who that is.” 

Today, Dani’s visit seems to last even longer, which is normally a good thing, but all the thoughts going around in Jamie's head are giving her a pain behind her eyes. Dani senses this and suggests that Jamie sticks to water and not anymore coffee for the day. It’s a good idea, and she is in pain, but they both know there’s more than just a headache going on. 

* * *

Despite their smiles at the end of that last visit, there had been an undercurrent of awkwardness that they both tried to ignore. The next day Dani doesn’t show for either of her usual coffee orders, and while Jamie’s disappointed, she doesn’t worry about it. It isn’t until Dani doesn’t show for the following three days as well that Jamie starts to worry. The two of them had never exchanged cell numbers and Dani had always come in alone, leaving Jamie with no way to ask after her. 

With Dani missing, it means things at the shop go back to being mind numbingly boring. It also means Jamie’s stuck with her thoughts bouncing around her head. Jamie’s always been more of a loner, but she let Owen in. Since working at the shop, she’s let Hannah and Rebecca in a bit too. It shouldn’t really surprise her when all three of them try to talk to her. Rebecca asks if she's okay, but doesn’t push when Jamie says that she’s been better. Owen tries and while he’d usually be the one she turns to, it’s Hannah who she opens up to this time. It’s a little weird, considering the fact that she doesn’t know Hannah as well as Owen or even Rebecca, but there’s just something about the woman that makes her easy to talk to. 

They're closing for the day, Rebecca has gone home and Owen’s still cleaning his baking area and preparing it for tomorrow and that’s when Hannah asks if she wants to talk. Jamie’s thoughts have been going around in her head for days now, so when Hannah asks her what’s wrong, she’s had more than enough time to figure it out. 

“Dani hasn’t come in for a few days. She could be sick or something, but I’m more worried about how things will be between us when she comes back. It’s been a while since I’ve been in a relationship of any kind, so maybe I’ve just forgotten how things work, but I thought we were moving towards being more than just friends. Maybe I just read everything wrong.” 

“Has she said something to indicate she doesn’t feel the same?” 

“Well, she had a fiancé back home. He died and that’s why she left, but having been about to marry a guy would point towards her being interested in men. Maybe she just wants a good friend. I don’t know.” Once again, she’s being more honest than she expected herself to be, but she attributes that to Hannah’s kindness and there not being a hint of judgment or even teasing. 

“Jamie, she already came in twice a day and then makes a point of coming in an additional two times a week, but only on your break. Apparently, she only ever orders one of the simplest drinks we have and I’m sure there are coffee shops closer to campus, so she’s not coming for just the coffee.” Jamie can feel the blush rising on her cheeks, but Hannah doesn’t comment on that either. “What do you want it to be between the two of you?” 

“Well, she came to an entirely different continent to get away from things, one of them being a relationship ending, so I think it’s best if I just stick with being whatever she needs me to be. From what I gather, she has enough pressure from home still, and I don’t want to add to that. I don’t want to rush things either, so being friends seems like the smartest move right now. I’ll let Dani decide what she wants this to be.” Hannah gives her a soft smile. 

“That seems wise. I’m sure she’ll be back though.” 

* * *

Dani does come back, but the week she’s been gone had been hard. When she gets in line, there’s only a pair of people in front of her, but they happen to be Flora and Miles Wingrave. They’re the niece and nephew of the owner, Henry Wingrave. They aren’t awful, as far as teens go, she likes them, but they’re in the habit of bickering with each other as well as wanting to chat a bit at the counter. Today, that’s the last thing Jamie wants to do. Eventually, the siblings get past arguing about which pastry is best, and finally decide to order their drinks. 

“I’ll have an iced coffee with three shots of espresso” says Miles. Jamie raises an unamused eyebrow at the boy. “What?” 

“Well, first of all, an iced coffee gets rid of the caffeine so you’re adding it back in with the espresso shots. It’s also just pouring hot coffee over ice.” 

“So? It’s what I want to have” counters Miles with a shrug. 

“No.” 

“What do you mean no?” Miles isn’t angry, just absolutely perplexed. 

“You’re fourteen Miles, there is no reason you need three espresso shots. Or any espresso shots with how much sugar you add. Pick something else.” If she hadn’t been staring Miles down, she might have noticed the wide grin creeping onto Dani’s face. Miles gives a harrumph and then repeats his order without the shots in it. Flora’s twelve and very sweet, but after ordering a caramel Frappuccino, another mixture of coffee and ice, she takes what seems like ten minutes to choose what to eat with it. She finally decides to order all three instead of spending more time trying to decide between them. 

Finally, it’s Dani standing in front of her and seeing her again reminds Jamie of how much she had missed her. 

“Missed you around here. You doing alright Poppins?” She can see Dani briefly thinking about lying, but instead she sighs and gives an honest answer. 

“Sorry. I just had to take some time to figure a few things out. I didn’t mean to make you worry.” Dani seems a bit sheepish about it, so Jamie tries to lighten things. 

“That’s okay. I was just worried you might have collapsed in class or while studying somewhere without your usual dose of coffee. Maybe let the gremlins gang up on you. All that energy and hyperactivity could easily let them get the upper hand.” Dani laughs. 

“You seem to handle yourself pretty well around kids. The two in front of me like you.” Jamie rolls her eyes. 

“They’re related to the owner.” 

“So, you’re nice to them on purpose?” Jamie shrugs. 

“Just more tolerant than I would be with others. Especially given how many times Flora says ‘perfectly splendid’."

She’s just handed Dani her order when Hannah pops out from the back where she was probably talking with Owen. Jamie had asked him when he was finally going to ask Hannah out and he said probably before she was going to ask out Dani. 

“Jamie dear, you’ve been on for a while. You should take your long break now.” She doesn’t know what to say or do for a moment, so she misses Dani awkwardly fiddling with her coffee cup. Jamie only moves when Rebecca gently pushes her off to the side in order to take her place at the counter. 

* * *

Back at their table, Dani sits right next to her again instead of across from her. This time Jamie struggles not to pull her legs beneath her chair, not wanting to make things even more awkward. 

“So, how have you been?” Maybe she’s trying too hard to appear casual, but Dani doesn’t seem to notice. 

“I finally confronted everyone back home. It took more than a few phone calls, and probably would have been better to do in person, but I’m not sure I could handle that. So, I did what I could, said how I felt, and now… Well, I’m not sure I’ll be getting calls from them any time soon or be very welcome back in Iowa, but Bly feels more like home than there ever did. Despite all that, it’s a big weight off me that I didn’t know I was still carrying and I feel a lot better.” Jamie can’t help her smile. 

“That was very brave Poppins. I already knew you were though.” 

“Because I put myself in a position to be overrun by small children?” Jamie grins. 

“Among other things.” They fall into their usual easy conversation, but after a while, they both know that Jamie has to get back to work. Dani’s silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. 

“So, I was wondering if I could see you outside of this shop sometime. On a date. Not out for coffee of course, but I can’t make tea either. I’m not the best at planning dates, but I figure we could go out for some other kind of drink?” Jamie has no control over the smirk on her face right now. 

“Some other kind of drink?” 

“Maybe a beer? It won’t come with something as amazing as Owen’s creations, but we might get to share a bowl of pub mix or even a meal beforehand.” The blush covering Dani’s cheeks is adorable, but Jamie has to admit to feeling a certain amount of nervousness herself. 

“I’d love to. If you’ll give me your phone, I’ll add my number so we can figure out when.” Once that’s done, Dani goes to leave and Jamie heads back to the counter. 

“It’s our reasonable priced coffee and Owen’s baked goods that has you coming back, right?” She knows it’s not, but she can’t help but tease her a bit. Dani’s face goes red again, but it doesn’t keep her from answering. 

“No, just you” she calls back before turning and heading out the door. This time Jamie doesn’t mind Owen and Rebecca’s teasing at how bright her blush is. All she’s thinking about is that no matter what she has scheduled, she’ll put it off if it conflicts with whenever Dani asks if she’s available. She can’t wait. 


	3. Ill Fated Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on this prompt left in the comments:
> 
> Mickey, Dennis, Denny, Louise and Jamie schedule to meet, and as expected, nothing works out, it doesn't take long for everyone to start arguing and everything, and then Jamie, when she leaves there, sends a message to Dani warning that everything went wrong, then everybody in bly does things to make Jamie feel better
> 
> So for this AU there are no ghosts and it's set in the same time as Bly (I know this was supposed to be Modern AU but I forgot until just now)

Jamie isn’t one for mail. The only people she has any interest in knowing are all at the manor, so it wasn’t a surprise that the letter didn’t come to her place above the pub. Instead, the letter comes to the manor and thankfully, it’s Dani who collects it. 

Dani hands her the letter in the morning, but had only glanced at it long enough to read Jamie's name on it. Jamie looks at it long enough to see the return address and then promptly stuffs it into the pocket of her coveralls. She pushes herself extra hard that day, doing everything she can think of, from chopping up wood for the bonfire, spreading all the mulch she has, replanting things that she’s been putting off, and then a few other things as well. She only stops to come inside and eat dinner because Flora and Miles are literally dragging her along. 

Jamie doesn’t even remember going up to Dani’s room that night, but she’d pushed herself past the brink of exhaustion. The next morning, Dani’s wrapped around her from behind like she always is. Based on the light coming in the window, it’s still early. Jamie’s an early riser out of habit, but now is too early to get up even for her. She’s also too comfortable in Dani’s arms to move. Eventually, Dani stirs behind her. 

“How are you doing this morning?” Jamie can’t do much more than groan. She’d over done it to the point of stupidity yesterday. Her eyes are closed, but Jamie feels the bed move behind her, feels Dani get up, and then feels her settle back down on her other side. Opening her eyes, she finds Dani sitting next to her and holding pain pills and a glass of water. Once again, she thanks whatever gods are listening for bringing Dani Clayton into her life. 

As usual, Dani doesn’t push. They’re still working on getting to know each other better, but when it comes to this sort of thing, they’re already pretty good at reading each other. Jamie doesn’t know what to say. Other than the return address, she doesn’t know anything, so she decides to put off talking about it until later. 

“Could you take things easy today, please? I don’t think I’ll be able to help you up the stairs again if you push yourself like yesterday” asks Dani as she brushes her fingers against her cheek. Jamie gives her a small smile. 

“I don’t think I’m in any shape to work like I did yesterday even if I wanted to.” 

“Which is why I’m hoping you won’t be doing much more than hanging around today.” 

“Poppins, I—”

“I’m guessing that since you’re here almost every day you have more than a few days off saved up. I’d recommend taking one of them today. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to get up later. Maybe even join me and the kids for a picnic this afternoon.” 

“Poppins, give me a few minutes and I’ll be fine.” 

“I don’t think so. Not with the way you were groaning as we made our way from the kitchen to here. You managed to stagger most of the way with me holding you up, but I was this close to seeing if Owen could carry you up.” Jamie can’t help her sigh. Dani was making light of it, but she could tell the au pair was worried. Odds are she’d be in for a talk from Hannah too. She hadn’t pushed herself anywhere near that hard before. The closest she’d ever come was when she’d first started and she’d wanted to prove herself to the Wingraves. 

* * *

Dani was right, she wasn’t able to move without cringing until late morning. If Dani hadn’t already asked her to take it easy, Hannah’s stern look would have done it. Jamie spends most of the day drinking tea and reading on the couch or in the kitchen for meals. She isn’t able to work, but she manages to join Dani and the kids later outside and the smell of the grass and greenery is soothing. 

After dinner, she asks Hannah for a favor before heading up to Dani’s room. She grabs the letter from her coveralls and stuffs it in her jacket pocket. Then she waits while Dani tucks the kids into bed. She’s lost in thought, wondering what the letter could say, when Dani finally walks in. 

“Hey. Do you think we could spend tonight at my place? There’s something I want to talk to you about. I’ve already spoken to Hannah and she’ll take care of the kids in the morning.” Dani gives her a long look before nodding and holding out her hand. 

“If we’re going, then I’m driving.” Jamie can’t help her smirk as she tosses her the keys. No matter what’s going on, Dani’s always going to be looking out for her. 

* * *

Normally, Jamie doesn’t mind her small flat. She doesn’t really use it as anything more than a place to sleep, but she does try to make it comfortable. There are various plants scattered about, her book collection, a tv and couch, and the bare essentials in the kitchen. It’s not much more than a place to stay, and she has no one that she needs to impress, but every time she has Dani over, she’s reminded of just how small it is. 

Since they’d already eaten, Jamie settles on the couch. Dani hangs up her coat and then joins her and waits. Jamie’s eyes dart to the blonde a few times as she tries to gather her thoughts and find her words. She’d told Dani about her family that night in front of the moonflowers, but otherwise had never brought them up again. Even though she knows Dani probably sees things differently, Jamie still sees her family as one of her biggest failures. If she’d handled things better, Mikey wouldn’t have gotten hurt and they would have all stayed together. They weren’t a great family, not even a very good one, but she was responsible for ending it. 

Still not knowing where to start, she pulls the letter out from her pocket and hands it to Dani. Dani carefully takes it from her but only glances at it. 

“Is this the letter you got yesterday?” 

“Yeah. It’s from Mikey. I’m afraid to open it, but I wanted you with me when I do. I also didn’t want to do it at the manor where we could be interrupted. I love Hannah and Owen, they’re my family, but as far as they know, the scar on my shoulder is just from a childhood accident. I’ve never told them the details.” Jamie sighs and runs a hand through her hair. 

“I need… if you could open it for me, I might be able to take things from there. We’ll see I guess.” Once again, Dani gives her a long look, but she also reaches out and takes her hand, giving it a squeeze before opening the envelope. Dani doesn’t glance at the letter as she pulls it out and hands it to Jamie. Heaving a heavy sigh, Jamie takes it from her and opens it. It takes her reading it three times before the words really sink in. Once she’s done, she reaches for Dani’s hand again. 

“Mikey hasn’t just found me, she’s found all of us. Dennis, Denny, Louise, and me. He wants to meet all of us and I really can’t think of a worse idea than getting the whole Taylor family in one place. On the other hand, I want to see Mikey, I need to know that he turned out okay, even though I failed taking care of him. Getting a new family was probably best for him, I heard younger kids are easier to place with good families, so I’ve always hoped that was the case.” 

“You did what you could, Jamie. You said it yourself, kids can’t raise kids.” She feels Dani squeeze her hand again. Swallowing the knot in her throat, she shakes her head. 

“Yeah. I tried and got out lucky with just a burn scar on my shoulder. My shoulder blocked it from hitting his face, but his back, shoulders, and neck got hit. That’s what my best efforts got him.” This time, Dani lets her hand go and moves close to pull her close. With her head on Dani’s shoulder and Dani’s arms around her, she feels like she can breathe again. She’d been flooded with memories, her mind back seeing the boiling pot falling in slow motion and the heat hitting her shoulder again. Dani’s touch had brings her back to the couch in her flat, but she can still hear Mikey’s pained screams in her head. As if sensing this, Dani holds her tighter. 

“Jamie? You’re here with me, okay? We’re both here and we’re going to figure this out together, but right now I need you to come back to me.” Gradually, the screams fade and she’s focusing on getting her breathing back to normal. She guesses that if anyone could pull her back, it would be Dani. She’s one of the few that knows about fighting back against serious ghosts. Dani still thinks of Eddie, but he no longer haunts her, no longer gazes back at her in reflections. She’s shaken out of her thoughts when Dani asks her a question. 

“What do you want to do? I’m going to be here for whatever you decide, okay? Don’t worry about that. Do you want to talk things through some more? You should remember that whatever you decide, it has to be what’s best for you too. If it’s too much, maybe stick to writing and try meeting with just Mikey some other time.” Jamie can feel herself nodding. 

“I thought about it all day yesterday while I worked. I considered writing Mikey back, but he’s asked us all to meet at a pub in London. My letter wouldn’t get him in time for him to write back before the meeting. I also considered not showing up, but I owe him this much. It’ll be hard, I mean yeah, they all turned their backs on me one way or another, everyone except for Mikey, but I was the one who broke us all apart for good. If I don’t show up, he doesn’t have any reason to ever write back if I try to reach out.” 

“Even if that were true, which it isn’t, you didn’t do it on purpose. You were a kid and you took a lot on, so much that should never been put on you to begin with, and did the best you could. This is a chance to see how everyone turned out, but—” Jamie rubs at the spot above her nose. 

“Other than Mikey, the others didn’t have much hope, I remember that much. Louise took off to get away from it all, but it wasn’t like there was money she could take with her. Dad stayed in the mines and I doubt that’s changed, and Denny, well, he was always a mess. I’m not all that thrilled to see how things have gotten even worse.” 

“I could go with you. I could stay in the truck and read or something, but I could be there if that would help.” Jamie snuggles in a bit closer, but there’s a wry smile on her face. 

“As much as I appreciate that, I think it’s better if I go to London alone. I know I’ll need you there afterwards though.” 

“Then I’ll be there. At the manor or here, wherever you want, for whatever you need.” 

* * *

The night she’d gotten the letter she’d been able to sleep due to exhaustion, the night at her flat due to having talked things through with Dani and having her there had done it that night too, but the nights leading up to her trip to London are spent mostly tossing and turning. She has days off still saved up, but she clears the trip with Henry anyway. She tells Hannah and Owen that she has to take care of a few loose ends in London, and neither of them press for details. The one thing she doesn’t expect is Flora and Miles reactions, but after everything maybe she should have. Flora wraps her arms around her waist and Miles blocks the door. They only let her leave once she promises that she’ll come back. 

“Course I’ll be back. I just promised, didn’t I? Do I seem the sort to break those?” Both kids shake their heads and reluctantly let her go. “You two gotta promise me something too though. Can you two gremlins look after Poppins for me?” That gets her two eager nods. Flora and Miles go back to Dani’s side and take her hands. Lastly, she looks back at Dani, who gives her an encouraging nod. 

“See you later, Poppins.” 

* * *

Jamie spends the two hour drive to London humming every song she knows, starting with Blondie. It’s her best attempt to keep her mind off her nerves. If she listens to the doubt and fear in the back of her head, she’ll be turning the truck around. She winds up sitting outside the pub for a good twenty minutes smoking before she manages to go in. She heads straight for the bar and orders a pint and downs a good bit before looking around for her family. 

Despite every one of them probably knowing this is a very bad idea, they’ve made it worse by sitting in a booth. Denny looks the same, just stretched out. He's older, taller, and lanky, but his features are the same. Dennis looks even more run down than ever and Louise look worn down too. She settles in across from her dad and stares down into her glass while they wait for Mikey. It’s weird sitting with her mum and dad and calling them by their first names. She sometimes still calls them mum and dad, but they weren’t ever really that at all. Calling them Dennis and Louise is safer, keeps them separate from her. 

While they wait, she takes the chance look at the others a bit closer. Drinking and smoking look to be a family coping method. All of them are a bit shifty in their seats, trying not to let their nerves show. Denny looks like he’s some kind of drug user now. She seen drug users of nearly every kind while she was on the streets, but she can’t tell what Denny’s using. Dennis still has black on his fingertips, probably there permanently from his work in the mines. Louise has a lot of make up on her face, and Jamie can’t help but wonder if she’s covering up her age or bruises. 

Mikey finally shows up and sits next to Louise. For some reason that gives Jamie a twinge of hurt in her chest, but he is sitting across from her. He takes them all in one at a time, but finally settles on her. She wonders what he sees. He’d been too young to remember much of her, but by tracking them all down, he must have found out a little about all of them. 

“Well, here we all are, together after so many years apart” starts Mikey. Immediately, something feels off. Jamie knew not to expect the sweet and innocent three year old boy that she remembered, but this doesn’t feel like just a meet and greet type get together. 

“What do you want Mikey?” asks Dennis with a sigh.

“It’s Mike. Just Mike now. I haven’t been Mikey Taylor since before I hit my teens. I’m just curious about the rest of my family. It shouldn’t be all that unexpected. I want to see how all of you are.” Denny answers first, probably wanting to get out of there. 

“I’m a mechanic in a town outside London. Is that it?” Mikey shrugs but then shifts his gaze to their parents. Jamie’s fiddling with her glass as she hears what she’d expected from Dennis and Louise. Louise says she’s married again, which is interesting because as far as Jamie knows, she and Dennis never got divorced. At least no one asks if she has any more kids. Like she’d guessed, Dennis still spends his days in the mines, buried without anything fresh, anything green, or any natural light. 

Jamie’s the only one left and when Mikey—Mike leans forward into the better light, she can see the scar going down the side of his neck and extending down under his shirt. She takes a deep breath before answering. 

“I’m a gardener at a manor.” Mike chuckles and it’s not a pleasant sound. 

“I knew that much when I finally found you. I guess what I want to know from you is how your life was after you got rid of me. After you left me behind and never looked back.” She’s managed to keep her face impassive until now. She should have really known better, but she can’t help the hurt frown that appears on her face. 

“Mi—Mike, they separated us after we got to the hospital. Took us to different places to treat our burns because yours were worse. I tried to get away and find you twice that night, but all the nurses would tell me was that you were in good hands and later that Social Services had taken you and were coming for me too.” Mikey laughs this time and it’s unsettling. 

“How is your burn? Is it bad? Bad enough that it was days before you could lay on it and weeks before you could go without bandages? Do you still have to be careful with it after all these years? Does it get you mocked or scare people off before they’ve even met you or make the few that get close so uncomfortable that they leave?” Jamie’s eyes go back to her drink, but she doesn’t dare take a sip and show that he’s getting to her even though the bit that she already had is now bubbling uncomfortably in her stomach. Mikey is staring at her, apparently wanting a real answer. 

“No, it’s not too bad” she replies softly. Mikey leans over further towards her and pulls back the collar of his shirt, showing her how his scar continues down over his skin, but she knew that. When it comes to her little brother, she remembers how cute he was with his little laughs and smiles and then everything that happened that night. 

“So, what happened when they took you?” Jamie tries her best not to fidget. Talking about her past is hard enough, but these are the last people she wants to be open with. Before coming, she’d thought she’d share it with Mikey if he asked, but this isn’t who she’d expected. 

“I bounced around through a handful of foster homes and then took off on my own at fourteen. Landed in prison at sixteen and got out at twenty-one and started again. Now I’m a gardener.” She can feel the stares of the others but Mikey is the only one she’s paying attention to. 

“And you never thought about me again. Just went on with your life and never looked back, even though you were the reason I was taken away and our family was split up.” Jamie’s been holding on to her temper, using ever method she’d been taught by Tamara and a few tricks she’s picked up from Dani, but that breaks it. 

“Mikey, it was an accident. I was ten! It wasn’t my job to try and take care of you, it was theirs” she says, gesturing towards Dennis and Louise. “I did my best for as long as I could. I still thought about you, wondered how you were, but I was never in any state to find out. I didn’t really have a steady address until I landed in prison and I didn’t want you to get a letter from me while I was there. When I first got to Bly, I wanted time to settle in. I’ll admit that I’ve been settled in terms of an address for a couple of years now. I should have tried to find you, but… I was scared. Can you blame me?” 

The moment those last four words leave her mouth she wishes she could take them back. The conversation had already been going the wrong way and that was quite possibly the worst thing to say. Before Mikey can say anything, Denny has to add something, because of course he does, all he’s ever done is fight with her. He doesn’t really say anything, just shakes his head and tsks at her. That has her turning and scowling at him. 

“It’s not like I had any help with anything.” She should have kept her mouth shut, but the words came out anyway. Even after all this time, she hated him for how he’d treated her and hadn’t helped to hold them all together. That has Denny sitting up straight and lean over towards her with a scowl of his own. 

“What did you expect _me_ to do? Not like you would have let me help anyway…” 

“It wasn’t like you were around to even if by some miracle you decided to try—” 

Just like they would all those years ago, things devolve quickly. Their parents look even more exhausted by just watching their two oldest children start fighting. Pub mix is thrown and Denny throws what’s left of his drink in Jamie’s face before following it up with the glass. Jamie manages to dodge the glass, but then Denny is shoving his way out of the booth, and when she doesn’t move fast enough he stands and walks right over her, stepping on her leg with his boot as he goes. She shoves him out the last bit of the way and then they’re all leaving. None of them want to stay a second longer and don’t need the owner to yell at them to get lost. 

Denny has to have the last word, so once they’re outside he slams Jamie against a parked car and grabs her by the collar of her jacket. 

“He’s right you know. Just because you think you’re better than us now, doesn’t change the fact that it’s your fault we were all split up.” Denny snarls the words in her face, but she just glares back. 

“Oh, like it’s not something you wanted. You were never home, not even the night it happened. You were just waiting for an excuse to run and that night you finally had a good one, so why pretend you care?" 

“You think you got it made as a gardener at some fancy place?” 

“What-- Piss off Denny” she says giving him a hard shove. He glares at her again before stomping off. Jamie runs a hand through her now damp brown curls and pulls her soaked shirt away from her chest. So, the night hadn’t been great, but it hadn’t been as bad as it could have been. It takes a moment for her to realize that there’s someone still there. She turns and finds Mikey standing there, watching her. Jamie doesn’t know what to say, so she waits on him. 

“You know, I didn’t expect much from them. Looking them up, finding them again, told me all I needed to know, but I wanted to at least see what everyone looked like. I thought you’d be different. Thought you might actually care about what happened to me. Instead you gifted me with an eye catching burn and left.” Jamie sighs. 

“That’s not how it was Mikey. I was ten, where was I even supposed to start to try and find you? I asked the Social Services people, but got as much from them as I had the nurses at the hospital. When I took off on my own, I was fourteen. Maybe I could have found you then, if I was really lucky, but then what? I would have wanted to stay with you, look after you, but I couldn’t even manage that for me. Where was I supposed to take you? Get food from? Keep us clothed? I wanted you with me, I wanted the two of us together again, but that wasn’t what was best for you. Even now, I live in a small flat above the town pub. My life is the most safe and stable that it’s ever been, but look at you. You’re all grown up now, and you don’t need me. If you did, maybe I could manage to swing a two person place, but that’s a stretch. I’ve thought about you a lot over the years, but no matter how much I missed you, I couldn’t do anything but hope you were better off.” Mikey is watching her, but there’s a hardness in his eyes. 

“I finished university two years ago and have a good job. I’m moving in a few months, not sure where yet, but where ever the company decides to send me is fine. Maybe you did think about me, but I’m betting that it was only as one less thing you had to deal with. You’re just as selfish as the rest of them. I should have known that already after all this time. It’s not like you ever wrote back before. Honestly, I didn’t expect you to show up. I was waiting outside to see if could spot you, but I guess you got past me.” Jamie’s trying to keep up, trying to make sense out of what this man is saying when she separates the words from his harsh tone. 

“What do you mean wrote back? You wrote me before?” Now he sneers. 

“Don’t bullshit me. I wrote you all the time, you just decided never to reply. Just be big enough to admit it, because standing here and watching you pretend to not know what I’m talking about? There’s no point, I know better.” 

“Mikey, I’ve never gotten any other letter from you other than the one asking us to meet today. When I was in prison, I wouldn’t have gotten it because you weren’t on my list. Before that, I was on the streets and before that I was in various foster homes. How’d you find out where I was?” 

“It wasn’t hard. That’s how I know it’s bullshit when you say you actually tried to find me. I tried over and over again to get in touch with you over the years. You could have written to tell me to fuck off if you wanted to.” 

“Mikey, I—” 

“Fuck off Jamie. That’s all I wanted to say to my big sister. The only one who supposedly gave a shit about me, but then disappeared. Fuck you.” 

“Mikey—” 

“It’s _MIKE_!” Her little brother then turns and walks away and she knows it will probably be the last time she ever sees him. 

* * *

Jamie’s first instinct is to right back in the pub and order another drink to settle her nerves, but she knows that’s a bad idea. She’s shaken and knows it’ll take all her focus to drive back home. Before she gets back to her truck, she throws up in the parking lot. There's a pay phone next to the pub and she goes in for a moment, planning to call Dani, but sets the phone back down when she realizes someone else might pick up and she's in no state to explain things. 

During the drive home, Jamie sings as many songs as she can think of as loud as she can. Her favorites, Christmas songs, songs that Hannah and Owen play records of, even songs that the kids know. She sings to try and hold off Mikey’s voice in her head, their conversation replaying in a low hum in the back of her head. 

She gets to Bly first and figures she should at least change her shirt and maybe get a shower before making her way to the manor. She really doesn’t want to talk about any of this there, but the only way to process everything is to talk it out with Dani. She’d rather not be so vulnerable around the others, so exposed, she reserves that just for Dani. As much as she loves the others, she doesn’t need Owen’s jokes to cheer her up or Hannah’s concern right now. The last things she wants is to worry Flora and Miles with her tears. Both kids are a bit fragile when it comes to seeing people they care about in pain. 

Walking up to her flat, each step feels so heavy and by the time she reaches her door she’s exhausted. She really doesn’t want to drive out to the manor, she’s not even sure she can make back down the stairs, but she doesn’t want to spend the night tossing and turning with what happened at the pub going around in her head. She rests her forehead against her door before finally opening it. She doesn’t look up, planning to trudge her way to the right into the shower, but then she hears something. Looking up, she sees Dani get up from the couch. It takes her a minute to register that Dani is really there. 

“Poppins.” 

“I had Owen drop me off when he went to pick up a few things earlier.” Dani’s walking towards her until Jamie holds up a hand. She’s about to explain, but Dani’s close enough to smell the beer on her. 

“Let me get a quick shower and then I’ll tell you how it went.” Dani gives her shoulder a squeeze as she goes by, but Jamie avoids looking at her face, knowing there’s probably a look of concern. 

The hot water feels good, but she can feel it making her tired. Washing her hair takes too much effort, but she needs to get the scent of beer out of her hair if she wants to think clearly. 

Jamie finds Dani in her small kitchen. The minute she spots her mug sitting out, Dani cuts off whatever she was going to say. 

“I just boiled the water. I know better than to make it myself and stay in your good graces.” Normally, the comment would make Jamie smile, but right now it reminds her too much of what happened with Mikey. Dani seems to sense something is off and takes the kettle off the burner and walks over, putting her hand on the small of Jamie’s back and guides her to the couch. Dani waits patiently but keeps one of Jamie’s hands in hers in a silent sign of support. 

“Not a lot had changed. We're all older, but things were like they've always been. It all went downhill fast. Dennis, Denny, and Louise were already there when I showed up. Apparently, Mikey was waiting outside to see if he could spot me, but he didn’t. He goes by Mike now, but I’ve always known my little brother as Mikey. He’s not that little boy anymore. I don’t know, I guess I still expected him to be somehow? He doesn’t look like the rest of us, Dennis, Denny, or me. He has dirty blonde hair and brown eyes, but he’s about as tall as I am. The one thing he did get from the Taylor side of the family is his temper. That was different too though. His was more like a quiet anger. He never really raised his voice, it just got… crueler. Dennis and Louise looked like life has taken a heavy toll on them. Dennis is still in the mines, but I don’t know about Louise. Whatever she’s been doing with her life might be treating her a bit rough. Denny’s a mechanic now, but that’s the only thing that’s changed about him. We were there maybe half an hour, but I still managed to get into a fight with Denny. That’s where all the beer on me came from. I dodged the glass though. 

Mikey wanted to see us all in person, but I guess the only one he really wanted to talk to was me. Turns out he blames me for a couple of things. His burn is one of them, so I can’t fault him there, but—” Dani’s about to interrupt, but Jamie shakes her head. “I got off easy in terms of scars. Apparently, he’s spent years writing me. Somehow, he tracked me down in various foster homes, even in prison, I don’t know how. Every time I tried, I was told that legally, we were no longer family, that he’d been adopted and that I should just move on. 

He thinks I just stopped caring and left him behind. He also blames me for splitting the family up, but Denny feels that way too. I tried… I tried to explain how things were, how I couldn’t have taken care of him since I could barely take care of myself. I gave vague details, just said I was in foster homes, on the street and in prison, but not what got me put there. I don’t need anyone’s pity, that part of my life has passed, but none of us at that table have had great lives. 

Mikey showed me his scar too and it’s worse than I remembered. He said he still has to be careful with it. I don’t… The only reason he wanted to see me was to say fuck you to my face. Dani, it’s all going through my head so fast and it didn’t even make all that much sense the first time around.” 

* * *

Dani wants to reach out and pull Jamie into her arms and hold her, but Jamie’s still agitated, so Dani just rubs a hand up and down her back. While they sit in silence for a moment, it hits Dani how much Jamie’d had to deal with. When she was getting her first unwanted proposal from Eddie, Jamie’s family was getting separated because of an accident that Jamie still blamed herself for. She watches as Jamie rakes her fingers through her damp hair. 

“Dani, I’m just so tired…” The logical thing to do would be to help Jamie up and tuck her in bed, but ever since Jamie got home, every move she’s made seems to take a monumental effort. Jamie’s been holding herself together for hours and this is the first chance she’s had to let it all hit her. At some point, silent tears have started to stream down Jamie’s face and she’s started to tremble. 

Grabbing Jamie by her shoulders, Dani leans back into the couch and settles Jamie’s head on her lap. Rubbing a hand up and down Jamie’s arm, she feels Jamie snuggle further into her. Dani has a feeling that there’s still more that Jamie has process. It’s already taking its toll on her physically and that’s something Dani’s familiar with. Dani plans on doing her best to help from keeping that from getting out of control. As she combs her fingers through Jamie’s brown curls, she hears Jamie’s breathing even out. She keeps her fingers moving because even though Jamie’s now asleep, her body is still trembling slightly. 

As expected, since Dani had stayed sitting up during the night, her back and neck hurt, but it’s a small price to pay. Jamie is still asleep with her head on her lap and one of her arms wrapped around Dani’s knee. Dani’s first instinct is to try and take care of something, breakfast or the beer soaked shirt that is probably laying on the floor just outside the bathroom. Despite those thoughts, she stays put, knowing that this is where she wants and needs to be when Jamie wakes up. 

It’s about an hour later that Jamie begins to stir. Sitting up and wiping at her eyes, Jamie scratches at the back of her head. 

“Poppins, you didn’t need to stay on the couch with me. The bed is a lot more comfortable, I would have been fine. I’ve spent lots of nights on this thing, I know how to avoid all the lumps.” Dani smiles. Even with everything Jamie’s still feeling and dealing with, her first concern is Dani. 

“I’m fine. Nothing racing after the kids later won’t work out. How are you doing?” Jamie flexes her neck back and forth. 

“I dunno. Sleeping helped, but I still feel… off. I know I did everything I could back then and I didn’t get a chance to really explain anything to Mikey, but I should have tried. I never got any of his letters, but for some reason I still feel bad about it? It shouldn’t have been left up to him to reach out. It sounded like he hadn’t reached out to Denny or our parents until now. I was the only one he tried to find over and over again. I know I couldn’t have really done anything before, but once I got here and settled in Bly, I should have tried. I only tried a few times before and not very hard, but here I could have asked Charlotte and Dominic for help or even Henry. I have resources here that I never had before, just didn’t want to use them after the Wingraves had given me so much.” 

Dani has to bite her tongue to keep from saying what she was thinking, but Jamie knows her well enough to know that she’s thinking something. 

“Poppins?” With a sigh, Dani runs a hand through her hair before answering. 

“Jamie, I know that you see things a certain way, but you’re overlooking a lot. Once you all were separated, you didn’t have an easy go of things. You told me last night that you told the rest of them just the basics. I get that you wouldn’t want to share that with all of them, but you can’t ignore it yourself. You kept being moved from home to home because you were doing what you could to get out of there. Things didn’t change though, so you set off on your own. We haven’t really talked about that, and we never have to if you don’t want to, but I can’t imagine any of that was easy.” 

“Dani, his scar—”

“Wasn’t your fault! You were ten and did the best you could! From what you’ve told me, you held things together for over a week. A week is a long time when you’re ten years old. You got a scar too. Yes, it’s not as big or as bad as your brother’s, but it doesn’t mean you got off any easier. Did he say anything about himself?” 

“Not much. He went to university and has a good job.” 

“Jamie, that’s more than you ever had a chance at. I know the meeting didn’t go well, but you wanted to know if he turned out okay. He did, and you know what? So did you. Sounds like Denny did in his own way as well. Did he say anything else?” 

“You mean besides fuck off?” Dani rolls her eyes. 

“Yes, besides that.” Jamie shrugs but Dani can tell she’s thinking back. 

“He said he was leaving in a few months. His job is moving him.” 

“Well then, if you want, you still have a chance to write him and explain.” This time it’s Jamie who rolls her eyes. 

“You mean if he doesn’t rip up the letter on sight or burn it?” Dani smacks her shoulder. 

“You still can still have a relationship with him if you want, but the both of you found out what you wanted to know. He has things wrong, but now you know he turned out okay. Something else you’re forgetting: even though you’re not with your brothers anymore, you still have a family.” That has Jamie smiling for the first time since she left the manor the day before. Jamie leans over and pulls Dani into a soft, sweet kiss. Then she rests her forehead against Dani’s. Dani’s right, Mikey is okay, just like she’d always hoped he’d be. 

“It’s not just me though. You have Hannah, Owen, and the kids. We all love you. You’ll always have him, but you have us now too.” With all that in mind, Jamie finds it easier to breathe and can settle. 

* * *

They put off breakfast in favor of something that Owen’s made. Since Jamie has most of her meals at the manor, her fridge is usually bare except for a few things Owen gives her to take home. What is in the fridge, Dani declares inedible. 

The minute Jamie’s through the front door, she’s practically tackled by Flora and Miles. They run straight at her, their arms outstretched to give her a hug, but they hit her hard enough to have Jamie falling backwards. 

“Oi, take it easy! I’m happy to see you both too, but I’m still a bit sore.” The commotion brings Hannah and Owen out into the foyer. Hannah raises an eyebrow, but there’s a smile on her face. If Owen’s grin was any wider, his face might break. The other thing she notices is the sound of Dani’s laughter. 

Even though none of the others know what happened or why she was gone, the day is spent treating her. Owen makes one of her favorite meals for dinner, Hannah makes sure Jamie remembers that she will always be for her, and the kids ask her to join them when they go fly their kites. Dani’s there too, with her hand in hers and when things wind down for the night, she finds herself in Dani’s room again. It’s there, with Dani curled around her and arm around her waist, Jamie decides that she’ll write Mikey. Maybe he’ll actually read her letter and they’ll stay in touch. One family doesn’t replace the other, she doesn’t have to forget or leave one behind. Maybe she’ll have Mikey in her life again, but even if she doesn’t she still has a family here. She presses herself further back into Dani and vows to remember that no matter what happens these people will always be here for her and Dani will be by her side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I have two happy chapters coming up next! One of them is already started


	4. Stevie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dog AU
> 
> Dani wants a dog and Jamie can't say no.
> 
> This can be read with Dani having the Viola in her or not. It doesn't change it really.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is all @thewildtype 's fault. All she did was make one comment and this started to write itself in my head. 
> 
> During CosyCon, Amelia said that if Jamie and Dani had a dog it would be a rescue and they'd go with the name Stevie.

Dani wants a dog. Maybe she’d wanted one growing up, but Dani had never given up hope. Since moving to Vermont, Dani’s found two dog parks near them and that’s only increased her desire for one. One of the highlights of Dani’s day is visiting and playing with a few of the dogs that are so happy to play. Seeing Dani so happy, is a highlight of Jamie’s day too. 

Ultimately, that’s what leads to Jamie giving in. She’s a push over when it comes to making Dani happy. It was her dream to open a flower shop, but if Dani had wanted to open an amusement park instead, she would have done it. They’d agreed to take things one day at a time and a dog is a big commitment, but given how much joy one would give Dani, a dog is a simple thing. 

When it comes to getting one, a shelter is the natural choice. Giving a dog a loving home is great, but it was also something she’d wished for herself once upon a time. Since meeting Dani, it’s not something she has to wish for anymore. If she’s able to give the same thing for someone else, she won’t hesitate, even if it's just a dog. 

When picking a dog, Jamie was thinking of something small. Personally, she finds small dogs irritating, but they have a small place so it would be the best fit. Instead they wind up getting a three year old black Labrador. According to the attendant, someone had brought it in when they decided she was too much trouble. Jamie knew about that from personal experience. This dog will only get bigger with time, and will mean making various adjustments. Again, she can’t say no when Dani picks her, not even wanting to see any of the others. In fact, it only makes Jamie's love for Dani grow. Dani is good at doing that. As well as they know each other now, Jamie discovers new things to love about Dani all the time. 

The dog is entirely Dani’s in that Jamie’s willing to let her make all the decisions, but Dani lets her decide what to name her. She can tell Dani’s surprised when her immediate answer isn’t Debbie Harry. Instead, the name she picks is Stevie, as in Stevie Nicks. 

“What do you think? Do you like the name Stevie?” asks Dani as she scratches it’s forehead. The way the dog is practically bouncing on its feet and licking Dani’s face is a clear yes. 

They hit a pet store and as excited as Stevie is, Dani is even more so. They get all the basics, the first being a collar and leash, a dog bed, food, treats, but when it comes to toys, Dani doesn’t even know where to start. The selection is overwhelming, but Jamie knows what to do. Leaning over, Jamie holds Stevie’s collar and looks her in the eyes. 

“I’m trusting you, okay? Only pick toys you like.” Dani watches them both, curious about what’s going to happen. Stevie licks Jamie’s face and takes off down the aisle. They wind up with four toys, a ball, one of those rope bones, and two squeaky toys. The squeaky toys are aggravatingly loud, but they’re what Stevie picked. They also grab a bone or two and all together it’s a hefty price, but worth it. 

Dani went on walks to clear her mind and now she had someone to take with her. Jamie joined her sometimes, but when Dani needs time on her own, Jamie feels better knowing that Stevie will be with her. Stevie needs two walks a day and within the first week, Jamie sees the effect it has on Dani. Dani breathes easier and while Stevie takes work, Dani seems invigorated. 

There are the things they hadn’t considered. For instance, Stevie’s curious about everything in their apartment. The two of them usually didn’t worry about closing doors, they were open with each other about everything and their home was the same. Then one morning Dani is taking a shower, and Stevie lured by the water or wanting to be close to Dani, tries to join her. It takes Jamie ten minutes to get Stevie out of there, the dog having entirely too much fun under the water and the voice Dani uses with Stevie only encourages the animal. Jamie wants Stevie out of there for two reasons: she’s getting water all over the place and if anyone is going to be joining Dani in the shower it isn’t going to be the dog. 

Then there were the bigger problems. Like when Jamie has her lips traveling down Dani’s breast, the sudden sound of a squeaky toy in the other room kills the mood. They’d thought to close the door, not wanting Stevie to suddenly bring in her ball to play fetch while they were busy, but those stupid squeaky toys can be heard in every corner of the apartment no matter where Stevie is and Stevie's never happy just squeezing it once. It's very hard to find anything sexy with a loud squeak coming from the living room for fifteen minutes. 

Jamie lets Stevie get away with a lot, but she draws the line at letting her sleep on their bed, even when they first bring her home. The dog will take up a good portion at the foot of the bed now, and would only get bigger. Odds are Stevie would decide that the most comfortable place to sleep is right between them. Jamie hadn’t minded when Flora sometimes joined them after a nightmare back in Bly. The moment they heard that small knock at their door, they’d scramble for something to wear before letting the small girl in, but if they could offer comfort, letting her join them for a night was fine. Stevie always loved to be near them and once she joined them, there would be no going back. 

There are other adjustments to be made too. Jamie loves her roses but she also has a soft spot for lilies and has to find new places for them once they have Stevie since they’re poisonous to dogs. Teaching Stevie not to eat off the table is harder than they thought. Leaving their plates just to reach a bottle of wine sitting on the counter three feet away is long enough for Stevie to eat half their dinner. 

Loving Stevie is easy. She takes any affection offered her way whether it’s just a look, saying her name, a pat on the head, or a scratch under the chin. They send Owen photos and the moment he gets them he calls them and laughs for five minutes straight. 

“Care to share Owen?” Jamie grumbles into the phone. It’s held between both her and Dani’s ears. 

“So, _howl_ are you two doing with the new addition to your family? I can already tell you two are going to be the _ultimutt_ dog parents. You sent me only four photos of the two of you and a hundred of the dog or you with her? Also, I’m guessing Jamie was the one to choose the name? She’s so _fur-tunate_ to have you in her life. Please _fur-give me_. I’ll stop now. It’s the _leash_ I can do.” Dani’s smothering her laughter in Jamie’s shoulder while Jamie rolls her eyes. They miss Owen, even his puns, and that has them calling him regularly. This may be too many puns in one sitting though. 

“Owen, did you spend time coming up with those before you called or are you thinking them up on the fly?” 

“Oh, _paw-lease_. You should give me a round of _ap-paws_ for my talent.” Stevie chooses that moment to join the conversation by barking. 

“See? Stevie doesn’t like your puns either!” 

“That’s just _a-paw-ling_. How long have you had her, a couple of weeks and you’re already rubbing off on her?” 

“Owen, how are you?” asks Dani and that thankfully puts an end to the puns for a while. Owen tells them about the trouble of setting up a restaurant. They’d all gotten more than generous checks as severance from Henry and Owen had gotten a decent amount for his mother’s house as well. More than enough for a new start in Paris. Both Dani and Jamie knew Owen was now probably living in a space the size of a closet and putting everything he had into his dream, but they weren't worried. They’d had more than enough of his dishes to know that he’d have no problem tantalizing people with his creations. They talk for what seems like hours before things wind down. 

“Okay, I’ll quit _hounding_ you two for now. I’ll _collie_ you two later.” He hangs up at the sound of Dani’s laughter and Jamie groaning. 

It doesn’t take long for it to feel like Stevie’s always been there. She greets them the moment they open the door to their room in the mornings and when they open the door coming home from work. Stevie grows and becomes an even bigger handful but in a good way. A way that makes them laugh and smile constantly. When they’d started, just being with each other was more than enough to make them happy, but Stevie was something they hadn’t known they needed until she was there. 

Jamie continues to suspect that Owen spends too much of what’s probably his small amount of free time just coming up with dog puns. They send pictures of Stevie to the Wingraves too which may have been a mistake since it would only make the kids start begging for their own. Even though it meant making more than a few adjustments to their life and an embarrassing amount of dog toys scattered about their place, they wouldn’t change a thing. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two more prompts planned. I've half written one with Flora doing a bit of unintentional meddling and another one that is a date and sort of follow up to the coffee AU. I'm always looking for more though so leave them in the comments if you have one!


	5. Flowers in Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flora meddles even when she doesn't mean to. It might be because they sometimes forget she's even there, she's so small. Or it might be because she's just so curious. Or because she can just sense things about people, both she and Miles both can. Whatever the reason, she tends to put her foot in things and it always winds up leading to something. A step forward or a step back. Sometimes both.

Jamie’s been working outside for hours now. It might seem silly, given how many there are, but Jamie takes pride in every plant on the grounds. From the various trees, to her roses and other flowers, down to the grass that covers nearly all of it. All of it is kept green and thriving due to her hard work. She’d saved the heavier work for after lunch and had gotten nearly all of it done and that was good enough for one day. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with leaving something partially done, but her body is beginning to ache. She decides to take a break under one of the large trees before figuring out what to do. 

It was hard to believe that it was only a few days ago that Dani had reached out and rubbed her thumb over her hand before she left. Whenever she thinks about it, she can almost feel the warmth of Dani’s hand on hers and the tingles it sent up her arm. The only problem was that since that night, nothing had happened. They’d hardly interacted at all aside from meals or as a group with Hannah and Owen. Jamie knows that there are the usual reasons. Flora and Miles are a handful and balancing their days between studies and other activities is a lot for the group of them, much less one person. Maybe Dani's just exhausted after a long day. It would make sense, but she has a feeling it isn't true. 

It’s still early afternoon, but by this time every day, the kids are usually outside. They come out once in the mornings as breather for all of them, and then again when they’re done for the day. She’s been trying to find a way to talk to Dani alone, but something always comes up, Owen wanting a taste tester, Hannah needing a hand, the kids need wrangling. She’d hoped Dani would be the one to seek her out, but that hadn’t happened either. 

She’s taking a smoke break beneath one of the large trees and gazing towards the statue garden. She’s thinking about the moss that’s creeping up the sides of some of the statues when she hears something above her move. Looking up, she spots Flora high up in the tree’s branches. 

“Flora, what—” 

“Shh! We’re playing hide and seek again. Don’t look at me!” 

“Flora, you shouldn’t be in that tree, it isn’t safe.” Jamie wonders why on earth she’s whispering. 

“But Jamie, you taught me how to climb them! I am perfectly safe. I’m not sure that Miss Clayton is very good at this game.” 

“What makes you say that?” Jamie goes back to smoking since it keeps her from looking directly at Flora. 

“Well, last time Miles found her even though she was the one looking for us—” 

“That’s not how the game goes, so I don’t know if that counts.” 

“I thought she spotted me earlier, but she hasn’t. She’s just watching you. _Don’t look_!” Jamie is an experienced smoker, but that last statement has her inhaling wrong. She's nearly bent over coughing for a minute or two. It does keep her from looking at Flora or for Dani though. 

“Flora, how long have you been in that tree?” 

“I’m not sure. We finished are lessons early today because I did so well on my maths and Miles finished his book report. Miss Clayton was very pleased.” Jamie hums in acknowledgement, but she’s stopped listening very close. She considers what she’s been doing for the last hour. Looking down at herself, she remembers and winces. Jamie’s wearing her coveralls, but underneath she’s been sweating to the point where she’s starting to smell. Then there’s the manure she’d been placing around a few bushes that needed a little help. If Dani got within ten feet of her, she’d be knocked down by the stink. Then there was all the mud too. The last thing she needed was Dani coming to find her right now. 

“Jamie, are you alright? Your face is very red. Like Miss Clayton’s sometimes gets when she looks at you.” That comes as a surprise. She’s sensed Dani’s eyes on her before, but the news about her blushing is new. Figures Flora would be the one to notice. She’s so small that they sometimes forget she’s there. Then she registers the first part of what Flora said. 

“I’m fine Flora, just hot from working. Don’t worry.” Jamie knows that soothing Flora’s worry is always important. Between her parent’s deaths and then Rebecca’s, both Flora and Miles are very sensitive to the people around them. Everyone had noticed that Rebecca had been depressed after Peter left, but none of them expected her to drown herself in the lake. Any trips farther than London had both of the siblings making you swear that you’d come back. Jamie had to agree with Hannah, with everything the two of them had been through, things like this are to be expected. 

Looking down at herself again, Jamie sighs. The only thing covering the stench is the smell of her cigarette. She’s never been the type to worry about what she wore. She can scrub up when she needs to, but usually went for comfort when picking things. Comfort was important when it came to gardening, so that had never been a problem. It still isn’t. Well, not exactly, but she really doesn’t want Dani to see her like this, even though she’s seen her in coveralls before. She’s pretty sure she has a change of clothes in her truck, and if she’s lucky, just changing her clothes will get rid of most of the smell. With that in mind, she tells Flora she’ll see her at dinner, and heads to the greenhouse to get rid of her coveralls. 

* * *

So, maybe Dani had suggested hide and seek for her own selfish reasons. Sure, she could use a break from the kids, but since they’d agreed to play outside this time, she was using the opportunity to watch Jamie for a while. 

She’d been attracted to the gardener from the first time she saw her and had only recently worked up the nerve to actually do something about it. Just taking Jamie’s hand was a lot for her, but she wanted to try and let Jamie know how she felt. The only problem was that she hadn’t really thought past that. This wasn't something she really knew anything about. 

So, for now, she spent time gazing at the brunette from across the grounds. Watching Jamie for long periods of time out of her line of sight could be seen as creepy, so Dani didn’t think about that part of things. Yes, she’s aware that her watching of the woman hadn’t gotten any subtler, but couldn’t make herself care. Out on the grounds was Dani’s favorite place to watch her. 

Jamie's comfortable just about anywhere, but outside she was in her element. She's always attractive, but surrounded by all her beautiful work, Jamie’s absolutely breathtaking. She’s been watching the gardener take a smoke break, under the pretense of looking for Flora and Miles, but she hasn’t gone more than a hundred feet from the manor before she's spotted the brunette. Jamie’s coveralls are caked and stained with her work, but her hair moves gently in the breeze and her hands, free of her work gloves, look gentle and delicate. There are so many sides to Jamie Taylor and she’s fascinated by all of them. 

She’s shaken out of her musings when Jamie takes off towards the greenhouse. Sadly, Dani can’t think of a reason to follow. Both of the kids know better than to hide in there and whenever she tries to come up with something to say to Jamie, it’s ridiculous. The last time she was near Jamie and searching for something to say, all she came up with was _How do roots work?_ something she’d be embarrassed to actually voice. That’s not her biggest problem though. As stupid as that comment would be, it wouldn’t matter since when she’s actually in front of the gardener, her mind goes blank. 

Even so, she wonders why Jamie took off. Had she been caught watching? With a sigh, Dani resigns herself to actually searching for the kids. She heads over towards the statue garden. For a girl with such a large imagination, Flora tends to pick the same places to hide. Dani happens to be under the tree where Jamie had been standing when she hears something creak above her. She looks up just in time to see the large branch holding Flora break. Her arms immediately go out to catch the girl, and while she does, they’re hit by various other branches, and narrowly miss the large one. The two of them hit the ground hard. 

“Flora! Are you alright? What were you doing in the tree?” Dani’s hands are checking the girl all over but Flora’s nodding. 

“Yes, Miss Clayton, I’m fine. I was hiding. Jamie taught me how to climb trees!” Dani lets out a slow breath to calm herself down. Of course Jamie did. “Did Jamie tell you where I was?” The way Flora tilts her head in question is adorable. Wait, what? 

“Jamie?” Her mind is still spinning from catching Flora, so she’s only registering some things at the moment. It’s not her fault that Jamie is up there in the things she finds important. 

“Yes, I was talking to her earlier. Have you found Miles yet?” Dani’s gotten used to Flora’s abrupt change in topics, but she’s still combing bits of tree branches out of the little girl’s hair. Finally, she’s pretty sure she got all of them. “Would you like me to help you look? I know all his favorite spots and trees.” Great, more trees. She takes one last look around for the gardener, but doesn’t see her, so she lets Flora tug her along. 

* * *

Thankfully, changing her clothes took care of the smell. Not all of it, but enough. Jamie lingers in the kitchen while Owen finishes making dinner and Hannah sets the table. Since she’s usually busy outside, she doesn’t see Dani as often as Hannah and Owen do, and the two catch her up on what she’s missed. According to Hannah, Dani spent most of the afternoon being tugged around by Flora while they tried to find where Miles was hiding. 

“Saw him dash around the front while the girls searched around back. I think he only came out because he got tired of waiting” explains Owen over his shoulder. She chuckles, at least Dani had been busy. 

As Dani and the kids come down for dinner, Jamie catches Dani by the elbow to stop her for a second. She can’t be sure, but she might have seen a flash of panic in those blue eyes. That has her hesitating for a second before reaching out towards Dani’s hair. 

“Kids must have run you ragged today. You’ve got ah… a stray branch in your hair here.” Using both hands, Jamie carefully gets the branch free of the blonde silk strands. God, Dani’s hair is even softer than it looks. She swallows hard and tries to keep her hands from trembling as she pulls them back to her sides. “There you go.” 

* * *

Dinner is the same as it always is. They chat and Flora interjects in between bites. Miles might add a thing or two, but when he’s at the table his focus is his food, growing boys and all that. Sometimes Hannah and Owen get caught up in each other, but that’s fairly normal. As the meal winds down, Flora always starts to go over everything she’s done for the day. 

“Oh, Jamie, Miss Clayton found me!” Dani looks over at the small girl, wondering where this is going. 

“See? Knew she was better at the game than you thought.” 

“Yes, she was just under the tree when the branch broke.” That has the rest of the table going silent, and Jamie dropping her silverware with a clatter. There’s an absolutely horrified look on Jamie’s face and Dani watches as it goes as it goes pale. She’s just about to try and calm Jamie down when Flora speaks up again. “Miss Clayton caught me, but remember Jamie? You taught me how to fall out of trees too! I was perfectly safe.” Hannah and Owen are saying something, Miles is still eating, but Jamie is staring blankly down at her plate and Dani feels awful. 

A part of her knows that none of this is her fault. She’d been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, but no one could have known the branch Flora was on was going to break. Flora is still chatting happily, having moved on to something else already. It isn’t much later that she dismisses the kids to get ready for bed. Jamie still looked distraught, but had taken her dishes over to the sink, and then spend off, probably to leave for the night. She’d have to be quick to catch up with her. 

* * *

Jamie’s just pulled on her jacket, when there’s a hand on the sleeve of her jacket. She reluctantly turns around, expecting it to be Hannah checking to make sure she’s okay or something, but it’s worse. It’s Dani. She’s not sure she can face her right now. 

“Did you drive your truck here today?” That… wasn’t a question she was expecting. 

“Um, yeah. Why?” 

“Well, I know that sometimes Owen gives you a ride and—” That’s when Hannah enters the foyer. 

“Dani, would you like me to take care of the children tonight?” Dani turns to face her and she has a chance to make her escape, but Dani’s grip tightens. 

“That would be great, thank you.” Hannah nods and heads up the stairs and Dani turns back to her. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” She sighs and lets Dani lead her to the couch in front of the fireplace. She couldn't say no to those blue eyes. Sitting down on the couch, she can’t get comfortable. She’d been wanting a private conversation with the au pair for days, but not like this. Not over something like this. If she could, she’d go back and help Flora down herself. 

“Jamie, it wasn’t your fault.” Dani’s holding her hand again, but this time she hardly registers it. She keeps thinking back to the small branch she’d removed from Dani’s hair earlier. 

“Dani, I’m the gardener. Plants are sort of my area. I should have noticed the branch. I saw her on it, but I didn’t check.” She chances a look at Dani, but looks away the moment she sees her faint frown. 

* * *

Dani does her best to hide her frown, but when Jamie looks away, she knows she wasn’t successful. She isn’t upset over what happened, it’s just her name. Dani is who she is now, she’s left Danielle behind, but she doesn’t like hearing her name coming from Jamie. Jamie calls her Poppins, and she loves it, loves the way it feels because it meant they were friends, loves the way it was given because it was an endearment of sorts, loves hearing it because she’s never had a nickname before. Hearing Jamie call her anything else feels wrong. 

“I heard something move above me—” 

“Which could have just been Flora—” 

“But it wasn’t. I should have—” She can’t help her sigh. 

“Jamie, the only way you could have known was if you had climbed up there yourself. If you had, you both might have fallen and gotten hurt. I was just there at the right place at the right time. She could have fallen at any time.” Jamie winces. 

“Yeah, imagining Flora on the ground bleeding or with a broken arm and in pain isn’t making me feel better, Poppins.” It’s stupid, but Dani can feel herself relax at the nickname being used again. 

“What I mean is, that everything is fine. Flora’s okay and probably would have been anyway, you taught her how to fall out of trees. I haven’t been here very long, but I know two things for sure. You love those kids and if you’d seen something, you would have acted. Then there’s Flora. If Flora wanted to get up there she would have found a way.” Jamie gives her a small half smile. 

“That’s why I taught her how to climb and how to fall, just in case. Found her out there two years ago trying to pull herself up. They’re very different kids, but sometimes Flora wants to be just like Miles and he’s always liked being high up in them. I made her promise to only climb so high up.” Even though it’s a fond memory, Jamie runs a frustrated hand through her brown curls. She doesn’t know what else to do, so she squeeze her hand and it has Jamie looking at her again. 

“Jamie, do you know how long I’ve been a teacher?” Jamie shakes her head. There’s no reason she would unless Hannah happened to mention it and that’s if she knew either. “Before I came here, I’d been teaching for nine years, but I started babysitting when I was still just a kid. Kids get hurt, it comes with being one. It’s just a part of growing up. I know that doesn’t make it any better, but Flora could have just as easily slipped on the stairs or anything else. Even if something had happened, I’m not the only one here who would have known how to handle it. You, or Hannah, or even Owen would have helped her, like you do every day with even the smallest of things.” She gives Jamie’s hand another squeeze and after a minute, Jamie reluctantly nods. 

* * *

It’ll take some time for her to quit kicking herself, but Dani is right. With a place like this, as old as it is, it’s lucky the kids haven’t gotten hurt more often. 

“Still, I was distracted and I shouldn’t have been. Especially with Flora so high up. It might have been farther up than we’d agreed to, but I wasn’t paying attention.” She was just thinking out loud, not actually realizing what she was saying until Dani says something. 

“What were you thinking about?” Oops. She can feel the blush on her cheeks, there’s no hiding it, so she decides to just go with it. 

“A certain au pair.” That has Dani blushing too. 

“I’m um… I’m sorry I haven’t been around you much. I… I don’t really know how to do this.” She has a pretty good idea what Dani’s talking about, but she can’t be sure. 

“Do what?” 

“Well, I really like you, but I’ve only… This is my first time…” Dani sighs and runs a frustrated hand through her hair. “You’re someone I really like and I all I really know is how to fake it. So, I don’t know what to do.” Jamie’s been finding out little bits about Dani and feels honored since Dani seems so reluctant to share them. It sounds like Dani doesn't just mean with a woman, but at all. 

“Well, I really like you too, even though you’re American, and I don’t know how to do this either. Honestly? You’re the first person I’ve felt anything for in years. Allowed myself to feel anything for. So, this is new to me too. We’ll try and figure it out though, okay?” Dani takes a deep breath and nods. She hopes she said the right thing since she can still feel the nervousness coming off the blonde. After another deep breath, Dani looks back up at her and gives her a beautiful smile. They’ll figure this out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have various AUs still planned. A follow up to the coffee AU (the date, but it'll be loosely connected), a flower shop AU, High School AU, Bartender AU... but I'm open to others, feel free to leave them in the comments or on my tumblr @littlesolo


End file.
